Forbidden Love
by Hikari-Hero
Summary: After Alphonse's body is restored, he feels all of the old feelings he had long forgotten, but what happens when he experiences a new feeling towards his brother? Their fates aren't done unraveling in abnormal ways just yet...Elricest RoyAi
1. Chapter 1

My first Fullmetal Alchemist fic...whew...

**Disclaimer:** I do NOT own Fullmetal Alchemist, Hiromu Arakawa does.

**Pairings:** Elricest, Roy x Riza, and some more later on in the story.

Oh, and 'Ichi Hen Na Kanjoo' means 'An Odd Emotion'

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**Chapter 1: Ichi Hen Na Kanjoo**

Alphonse had his body back for a few days now.Buthewasn't stable on his feet, so Ed had to help him walk every where, but he didn't mind.

"Sorry for having you help me all the time, Nii-san." Al apologized when they got back to their dorm.

"Don't be. It doesn't bother me." Ed said, helping Al over to his bed. Al laid down and stared up at the ceiling while Ed kicked off his boots andtossed offhis black jacketbefore lying down in his own bed. Al turned onto his side and gazed at Ed. Ed saw Al staring at him out of the corner of his eye, "Need something?"

"N-No! Sorry, Nii-san!" Al stammered, a faint blush appearing on his face.

"Are you sure?" Ed asked, propping his head in his hand.

"Yeah, I'm sure." Al replied, turning onto his other side, so he was facing the wall. Ed shrugged and fell asleep the moment his head hit the pillow.

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The next morning, Al awoke early; Ed was still asleep in his bed, so he decided to try and walk by himself. Al swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up, his footing wobbly, but he soon stood without trouble. He took in a deep breath and started to walk forward, but without Ed's support, he fell backward onto his bed, he sighed in slight annoyance and stared up at the ceiling. Al turned his silver gaze over to his nii-san.

Minutes passed and Al was amazed at the rapid increase of his heartbeat as he gazed at Ed.

_'Helooks so innocent and pure when he sleeps.' _Al thought, _'But…this is _**Nii-san** _I shouldn't be thinking about him like this!'_

Ed rolled onto his side before opening his eyes. He sat up, his blonde hair cascading down his shoulders. As Ed got out of bed, he walked slowly over to his dresser and rummaged through it for his clothes. Once he found them, he walked into the bathroom and got dressed.

"Morning, Al." He smiled as he walked out of the bathroom.

"Good morning, Nii-san." Al smiled, sitting up in bed; Ed walked over and allowed Al to put an arm around his shoulders for support. They walked over to the dresser and Al picked out his clothes so he could get dressed. Ed left the room for a while so Al could get dressed. After Al finished buttoning his black jacket that was similar to Ed's except it had buttons, not a fasten, he called for Ed and sure enough, big brother came to his aid, Al grasped his shoulders for support as they made their way down to the Mess Hall. Once there, they got their food and sat down at a table, a crowd was staring at Alphonse.

"I wish they would stop." Al whispered.

"Some people just don't know how to mind their own business!" Ed muttered, pulling out his book, reading it instantly. Al rolled his eyes and picked at his food with his fork, watching Ed read his book the whole time. Ed would occasionally put a piece of food in his mouth and chew on it for a while before swallowing, his golden gaze never leaving his book, which gave Al the opportunity to watch Ed all he wanted. After they finished eating, Ed went to dump his tray, putting his book down on the table. Al picked it up and looked at it, the book was full of complex symbols and equations that made Al's head spin, so he quickly put it down. WhenEd returned he picked up his book and allowed Al to get support off of his shoulders so he could dump his tray as well. Once they were done, they walked around the Central military base.

_'Why do I keep staring at him? What if he notices? I better ask Riza about this feeling…'_ Al thought asEd's braid swished in his face, and Al got a huge whiff his scent, _'Why does he have to smell so good!'_

"Al? Earth to Al! Alphonse!" Ed called.

"Whaa?" Al asked coming out of his daze.

"Are you okay, Al?" Ed asked, his golden eyes filled with concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Is it okay if I go talk to Riza?" Al asked, Ed nodded and started walking towards Riza's office. Once there, he knocked on her door.

"Edward? Alphonse?" Riza asked when she answered the door.

"Al needs to talk to you." Ed said, Riza gestured for them to come sit when Al stopped, causing Ed to practically stumble forward.

"Can I talk to you privately, Lieutenant Hawkeye?" Al asked, Riza nodded and Ed helped Al over to the couch before leaving, shutting the door behind him. After a few moments, Riza sat opposite of Alphonse and placed her hands in her lap.

"Now, what did you need to talk about?" Riza asked, her mahogany eyes had a questioning look in them.

"I have this feeling…I don't know what it means. Every time I look at…let's just say somebody I prefer to keep anonymous, my stomach does a flip-flop, I feel light headed, and my heartbeat increases rapidly." Al explained, a smile came onto Riza's face.

"I know that feeling." Riza stated.

"You do?"

"Yes, it's the feeling I get when I'm around Roy." Riza smiled, her eyes getting a dreamy look, "I can't get enough of being around him. And when I'm separated from him…I feel so lost and lonely. But as soon as I'm reunited with him, my world is perfect." Riza added.

"That's exactly what I feel!" Al exclaimed, "The only problem is…I don't think they have feelings like that for me…or ever will…"  
"That's where you need to take a chance, sit down with them, and tell them how you feel. Of course, there is a fifty-fifty chance that you will either get rejected or accepted by the other." Riza explained, that's exactly what Al was afraid of.

"Thank you for explaining it to me, Riza." Al said, his eyes never leaving his shoes, "If I need help later on with this, can I talk to you?"

"Of course, as long as I get to find out sooner or later who this special person is." Riza smiled, Al nodded and got up to walk, but was incredibly unstable, he fell backward, "Are you okay, Alphonse?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I've just been really uncoordinated ever since I got my body back from the Gate, that's all." Al replied, Riza extended a hand to him and he took it, allowing Riza to help him stand. Havoc walked in and handed Riza some files.

"Good morning, Al. Where's Ed?" He asked.

"He's around somewhere." Al replied.

"Havoc, would you tell Fullmetal his brother is waiting for him?" Riza asked, Havoc nodded and left the room. Riza turned her gaze towards Alphonse, who was twiddling his thumbs in his lap, staring at his shoes, "Alphonse?"

"Huh?"

"Could you tell me who it is?" Riza asked.

"…I'll tell you later, okay?" Al replied.

"You got yourself a deal, Al." Riza smiled, moments passed and Ed walked into the room, walking over to Al, getting eye level with him.

"Hey, Al." He smiled, Al returned the smile and a faint blush appeared on his face as Ed took his arm and wrapped it around his shoulders, standing up slowly so Al wouldn't topple over and then they left the office.

_'I wonder…' _Riza thought, recalling the blush on Al's cheeks when Ed came in contact with him.

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Hikari: Love is blossoming in Alphonse's life! Please review if you want to find out more! Oh, sorry for the short first chapter!


	2. Chapter 2

Hikari: Hands...hurt...-.-; Anyway, the next chapter is here and I want to thank my only reviewer so far. So, thank you! Enjoy!

Oh, I guess you wanna know what the chapter name means, okay, 'Kekkonshiki' means 'Wedding'

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**Chapter 2: Kekkonshiki?**

The next day, Al awoke early and tried to walk by himself again, and to his amazement, he made it over to the dresser on his own with no trouble, he smiled. He grabbed his clothes and slowly made it over to the bathroom, getting ready as fast as he possibly could.

_'Nii-san will be so proud I can walk by myself now!'_ Al thought as he walked back into the main room, he grabbed a book off of the shelf and started reading it. Ed awoke in a matter of minutes, halfheartedly getting out of bed as he walked by, he caught a glimpse of Alphonse.

"You can walk by yourself now?" Ed asked, turning his gaze towards Al fully. His brother nodded, "You can go wherever you want now!" Ed grinned, Al smiled at him and continued to read his book. Ed got dressed and brushed his teeth, since he took a shower the night before. He walked out into the living room with a brush in his hand; he heaved a sigh and plopped down on the couch, ready to slay the tangled mess that was his hair. Al was fidgeting with his jacket as he watched Ed bring the brush up to his hair.

"Can I comb your hair?" Al asked, blushing when he realized he said it out loud.

"What?" Ed asked, looking at him with confusion, trying to figure out of he heard right.

"May I comb your hair, Nii-san?" He asked, trying to hide the blush that had appeared on his features. Ed smiled and handed the brush over to Al.

"Go ahead." Ed said softly, turning his back towards Al so he could get full access to his hair. Al wasted no time gently eliminating the snarls from Ed's hair. Ed sighed and relaxed his shoulders. When Al's task was done, Ed got up and looked around for a hair tie and sat down on the couch.

"Nii-san?"

"Huh?"

"Can…can I braid your hair?" Al asked, fidgeting a little more. A faint blush appeared on Ed's skin as he nodded and gave the hair tie to Al, in the process, their fingers brushed against each other. Their gazes met before they pulled their hands back quickly. Moments after, Al started to braid Ed's hair. Edward squirmed a little, causing his hair swishing in Al's face.

_'Why does he torture me like this? I know he's not doing it on purpose…but he smells so good…'' _Al thought, as he finished braiding Ed's hair. Ed stood up and Al had to force himself to get up and follow him.

"Nii-san?"

"Yeah?" Ed replied, looking over his shoulder, slowing down his pace so he and Al were walking in sync.

"Do you mind if I go talk to Lieutenant Hawkeye?" Al asked. Ed shrugged, telling Al yes in his own way. Al thanked him and started to walk towards Riza's office.

_'I can't think about Ed like this! He's my _**Nii-san**_!' _Al argued with himself as he knocked on Riza's door. Riza answered and smiled.

"Come in Al. Where's Ed?" Riza asked.

"Since I can walk okay now, I decided to let him do whatever he wants." Al replied, Riza nodded and Al sat on the couch, Riza sitting opposite of him.

"So…you promised you were going to tell me who this special somebody is." Riza smiled, "Al…you can tell me." She added when she noticed how hesitant Al was. Al tried to speak, but he couldn't. This wasn't something he was willing admit.

"If it's somebody I know, I won't tell them, I promise." She assured him, Al looked at her.

"Ed…" He murmured, Riza didn't hear him so she leaned in closer.

"Come again?" Riza asked, egging him on with her calm eyes and smile.

"It's Ed, okay? I love my brother!" Al stated loudly, his cheeks reddening. Riza merely grinned and chuckled softly, "Huh?"

"That's exactly what I thought. Yesterday when Ed came in here to get you, you blushed when he touched you." Riza explained, "And if you ask me, he seems affectionate to you as well, Al." Al thanked her and left the room. As he walked through the hallways, he saw Ed walking in front of him, he smirked, rushing over to his brother's side.

"So, what did you and Riza talk about?" Ed asked when he noticed Al by his side.

"Nothing much." Al replied. As the Elric brothers walked down the hallways, Riza rushed up to them.

"Fullmetal!" She called; Ed stopped and turned around, a puzzled look on his face, "Colonel Mustang wants to see you immediately." She stated, Ed muttered something under his breath, but headed towards Roy's office, Al right behind him. Once there, Ed knocked on the door.

"Come in." Roy called from the inside, Ed opened the door and walked in, Al followed him. As the two walked up to Mustang, Al noticed a grin on his face.

_'This can't be good.' _Al thought, taking a quick glance at his brother.

"How have you been feeling, Fullmetal?" Roy asked, Ed knew what he was talking about, but Al didn't. He opened his mouth to ask, but reconsidered and closed it again.

"Fine." Ed murmured.

"That's good. I guess even midgets like you can heal quickly." Roy grinned. This was exactly what Al was expecting when he saw Mustang's grin.

"WHO YOU CALLING A--?" Ed started, but was cut off by Al, who had placed a hand over his mouth; the rest of his screams came out as muffled sounds. Al sighed and continued to hold Ed in place as Roy continued.

"As I was saying, it's a good thing you healed quickly. And, there is an important message that you will hear over the intercom sometime later today and I want you to hear it." Roy explained. Ed agreed he would listen to it and they were dismissed.

Later that evening, while everybody was in the Mess Hall, eating there dinner, the intercom came on.

"Attention military personnel." Roy's voice filled the room, "I have an important announcement to share with all of you."

"Here he goes." Ed sighed, rolling his eyes.

"I, Roy Mustang, am getting married!" Roy exclaimed, Ed sputtered since he had been drinking his water as Roy spoke. The whole room burst into applause.

"There is more." Roy added. Ed seemed to perk up.

"Yes, this has to mean he is leaving!" Ed grinned, Al sighed as Roy continued.

"This is for Fullmetal. I've just been promoted to Fuhrer!" Roy said, his voice clearly showed that he was enjoying himself. Ed was speechless, Al was giggling at the priceless look on his brother's face.

"Sure! Rub it in our faces, you damn bastard!" Ed muttered, crossing his arms, resting them on the table as he buried his face.

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Hikari: Well Roy seems to be enjoying himself, poor Edward, his worst nightmare has come true! XD Anway, read and review for the next chapter! 


	3. Chapter 3

Hikari: Okay, here's the next chappie of Forbidden Love! Yeah, yeah, all you hardcore Elricest fans, Al gathers up more courage in this one, you'll just have to read it, won't you? Riza and Roy are married and are doing fine.

Oh, and 'Sore Demo Yowami no Aru' means 'Still Vulnerable'.

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**Chapter 3: Sore Demo Yowami no Aru**

Months passed and the first snow fell from the sky. Al awoke and sat up in bed, shivering. He got out of bed and grabbed his clothes, slowly went into the bathroom and got dressed. When he was done he crawled back into bed and pulled the covers over him, his teeth chattering.

Hours passed and Ed grudgingly rolled out of bed, cursing about how cold it was as he grabbed his clothes and slammed the bathroom door shut.

_'He's such a grouch in the morning…._' Al contemplated, rolling his eyes. About half an hour later, Ed came out of the bathroom all clean and fully awake, his hair already in its customary plait. He flung himself onto the couch and started reading his book. Al sat up in bed.

"Morning, Al." Ed said happily looking over at Al.

"Good morning, Nii-san." Al smiled and got out of bed. Grabbing his winter coat and pulling it on before leaving the room. He left the military base and walked around the city. Crowds of people were rushing about, buying Christmas presents no doubt. A couple walked passed Al, holding hands. They made Alphonse think about how much he wanted to hold Ed's hand without him caring…and how much he wanted to kiss him. Snow started to fall again, the small ice crystals melting when they came in contact with Al's warm skin. He sighed and returned to the Central military base.

As he made his way up to his dorm room, he bumped into Riza.

"Alphonse?" She said and then smiled, "How are things between you and Ed?"

"Good. I didn't tell him anything yet." Al replied, Riza shrugged, "Anyway, how's your marriage to Col—I mean, _Fuhrer _Mustang?"

"He's the best thing that ever happened to me, Al." Riza replied, a rare, warm smile appearing on her face before she walked off. Al headed towards the dorm that he and Ed shared on to find Ed reading peacefully on the couch. Alphonse found himself staring at his brother's right arm, a wave of guilt overcoming him in a matter of seconds. Ed lifted his gaze from his book.

"Hey, Al." He smiled as he closed his book and got up, placing the book on the shelf. He was about to turn around when he felt Al tap him innocently on the shoulder.

"Nii-san?" He asked.

"What is it?" Ed replied, his gentle, golden eyes locking with Al's silver. Al sighed before speaking.

"I haven't forgotten the promise I made you to get your arm and leg back."

"Don't start with that crap with me, Al!" Ed snapped, Al quieted down and felt tears form in his eyes,he hatedit when Edyelled at him like that.Then, Al felt strong arms pull him into a reassuring embrace, "I'm sorry."

"It's…I forgive you…" Al replied softly, the hug was all he needed to calm down. Alphonse clung to Ed and nuzzled his head against his chest, happy for the small piece of the sin he so badly wanted to commit. Ed rested his chin on Al's head. Al wanted so badly for this moment to never end, but alas, there was a knock on the door and Ed released Al from his hold as he went to answer it.

"Fullmetal, theFuhrer has ordered that you and your brother go on a small vacation, it was a suggestion from his wife." Havoc stated, Ed groaned and turned to Al, who nodded, indicating that he had heard the message, Ed turned to Havoc.

"We'll be out of here by evening." Ed replied, Havoc nodded and left. Ed shut the door and heaved a heavy sigh.

"What is it, Nii-san?" Al asked.

"If we have to leave, we have to go back to Rizenbul and I'll get a wrench thrown at my head…again…" Ed stated dully, rolling his eyes. Al knew what he meant, Winry and her stupid habit of throwing wrenches at Ed's head.

Later that evening, Ed and Al were packed. They left the military base around five and arrived at the train station at about five-thirty. Al was excited; this was his first time on the train with his normal body. Ed was complaining about how bored he was going to be.

"C'mon, Nii-san, this is going to be fun! We're going back home!" Al smiled, trying to cheer Ed up.

"What's your definition of fun, Al?" Ed asked, folding his arms across his chest, cocking his head to the side slightly. Al laughed at Ed's current pose and boarded the train; Ed shrugged and hopped onto the train as well. Once they found their seats, Ed moaned in displeasure.

"What is it, Nii-san?" Al asked, turning his gaze towards him.

"There's nothing fun to do in Rizenbul!" Ed whined, Al rolled his eyes and playfully punched Ed in the shoulder, causing him to scowl and rub his limb vigorously. Al laughed softly, looking at the beautiful winter wonderland that lay on the other side of the window. Ed muttered something Al didn't quite catch and pulled out a book and started reading. Only after a few minutes, Ed shifted in his seat, closing his book and stuffing back in his bag; he groaned, his eyes wandering around the train, "Nii-san?"

"What?" Ed asked, Al winced at the harshness in Ed's voice before continuing.

"What are you doing?" Al asked.

"Nothing. I'm bored to tears here, Al!" Ed complained, throwing his head back for effect. Al sighed and shook his head slightly before turning his gaze back to the world passing by.

After many hours of Ed's constant whining, they arrived in Rizenbul. Al practically had to drag Ed off of the train.

"I don't wanna stay here!" Ed growled as he dug his feet into the ground as Al dragged him by his auto-mail arm.

"C'mon it's good for you to get a break every once in a while, Nii-san!" Al replied, pulling him harder.

"YOU'RE HURTING ME, DAMN IT!" Ed screamed in pain as he felt his auto-mail arm come loose from it's socket, Al stopped pulling him and grasped him by the shoulders as he bit his lower lip, a choked cry escaped his body.

"Nii-san?" Al asked, his gaze locking onto Ed's now pained form.

"Damn auto-mail…must've come loose…" Ed murmured, holding his shoulder, Al watched Ed closely as they arrived at the Rockbell's, Al pounded on the door and Winry answered.

"Al! Ed!" She smiled, turning her gaze towards Ed, "What happened to you?"

"It's my fault, Winry. It was cold outside and I was pulling him by the arm, the auto-mail couldn't take the strain, it must've snapped." Al explained, Winry nodded and ordered Ed to go and rest in the operating room.

Moments later, Winry came out with his arm and sighed. Al asked her if it was alright to see Ed, she nodded and Al did. Al sat next to Ed and brushed his bangs out of his eyes. Ed rested his head on Al's shoulder and closed his eyes, as if Al could make the pain go away.

"Are you okay, Nii-san?"

"Yeah…" Ed murmured, Winry knocked on the door, Al jumped slightly, causing Ed to move his head from his shoulder and lean against the pillow. Winry shooed Al out of the room before Pinako entered, moments of silence passed when Ed's choked cry was heard.

"You always try so hard to hold it down, Nii-san…" Al whispered, soon, Winry and Pinako came out of the room, "Can I see him?"

"Sure, Al, just be careful, he's kind of grouchy." Winry cautioned. Al rushed into the room only to find Ed completely worn out, no cocky grin on his features, "Nii-san?"

"Huh?" Ed asked, opening his eyes, stray strands of hair hanging in front of his eyes. Al sat down next to him and gently brushed the golden strands back into their place. Ed rested his head on Al's shoulder, heaving a sigh.

"Are you okay?" Al asked, snaking an arm around Ed's waist, pulling him closer with a small tug. Ed seemed slightly shocked from the action, but quickly regained his composure, "Winry says you should be fine in a while."

"What the hell does she know?" Ed mumbled, picking his head up from Al's shoulder, leaning back on his pillow. Al reluctantly removed his hand from Ed's waist and placed it back in his lap, watching Ed with concern.

Later that night, Winry came in and walked over to Al.

"You can go upstairs now. But…we only have one bed, Al…and Ed's already asleep." Winry whispered.

"He's been through a lot of pain."

"He'll be okay." Winry replied.

"I'll carry him up there." Al said firmly, standing up, scooping Ed into his arms, careful not to touch his right shoulder, Winry only shook her head slightly and opened the door for Al.

Once upstairs, Al placed Ed on the bed and walked around to the other side, getting in bed with him, pulling the covers over them. The pale light of the moon shone through the window. Al looked over at Ed. Ed's bangs were all over his face, the rest of his hair in a braid; Al sat up and carefully undid Edward's plaited hair before pushing away his bangs, placing a soft, innocent kiss on his forehead. Alphonse rested his head on his pillow, sleep soon won over his body.

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Hikari: I loved writing this chapter, poor Edo, he was bored on the train! LOL! Sorry for the long wait. -.-; 


	4. Chapter 4

Hikari: Sorry for the really long wait...anyway...Ed has some sleeping troubles in this chapter.

Pairings: Elricest, Royai

Oh and 'Nagusameru Ichi Kanashii Tenshi' means 'Consoling A Sad Angel'

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**Chapter 4: Nagusameru Ichi Kanashii Tenshi **

Sunlight filtered into the room, the blinding light awoke Alphonse. He sat up and moaned softly. His silver gaze trailed over to Ed, who was sleeping peacefully, unbothered by the light. Al slipped out of bed and went over to his suitcase, rummaging through it for his clothes. Once he found them, he walked off to the bathroom and got changed, brushed his teeth and combed his hair. He started to go upstairs when he heard a door open.

"Alphonse? What are you doing up so early?" Winry asked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Al turned to face her.

"I always get up this early, weird, huh?" Al replied, Winry smiled.

"Al…could I talk to you for a moment?" Winry asked, Al nodded and followed her into the kitchen. She sat down at the table, gesturing for Al to join her. He slowly did and looked at her with confusion.

"What did you need?" Al asked.

"You care about Ed a lot, don't you?"

"Well, he's my brother, I'm supposed to." Al smiled. She released a sigh and stood up.

"I'll talk to you later, okay?" She said softly, Al nodded and went upstairs. The whole time wondering what she could possibly mean by 'care', Al hoped that she didn't mean what he thought she meant. He arrived in the bedroom and saw Ed, sleeping like a rock. Al sighed softly and rolled his eyes before walking over to the armchair in the corner, staring out the window.

Moments later, Ed stirred in his sleep and sat up, his hair was a tangled mess and he still looked like he was half asleep. Al looked over at him and felt his heart speed up, a blush claiming his features. He quickly turned back to the window, hoping Ed didn't notice him. Ed was completely confused, he could've sworn he fell asleep downstairs the night before, he frantically looked around the room, when he saw Alphonse, he calmed down.

"Good morning, Nii-san. Did you sleep well?" Al asked as he turned his gaze to Ed.

"Yeah…hey Al…how did I get here?" Ed replied, "I thought I fell asleep downstairs."

"You did. Winry came in and told me to go sleep upstairs, but I thought you needed to sleep on a more comfortable bed so I…" Al's voice trailed off as he looked at his hands in his lap. Ed cocked his head slightly, folding his arms across his chest.

"You…what?" Ed asked, trying to get Al to talk again.

"I carried you up here last night so you could sleep in a better bed." Al admitted, his face reddening even more. Ed smiled and unfolded his arms, getting up out of bed.

"Thanks, Al. But…you didn't have to give up the bed to me." Ed responded as he grabbed his clothes from his bag, leaving the room to go to the bathroom. Minutes later, he returned, clean and refreshed. He looked over at Al, who seemed in some sort of daze, "Al?"

"Remember a few months ago…when you let me brush your hair?" Al asked, Ed nodded, sitting down beside Al on the bed, "Could…could I brush it again?"

"Sure." Ed replied, as he started to get up, when he felt Al's hand clamp around his wrist, pulling him down.

"I'll get it." Al smiled, getting up, grabbing the brush off of the dresser, he returned to the bed as Ed shook his hair out of its customary plait. Al sat behind him and Ed shifted a little, allowing him the access he needed. Ed jumped slightly as Al rested his head on his shoulder. Though Edward was deeply confused by Al's sudden affection level, but he enjoyed it all the same.

"Niisan…" Al's breath tickled Ed's ear as he spoke. Ed shifted slightly, indicating the he should continue, "I was wondering, could we go spend the rest of our break at an inn?"

"Sure…I wouldn't mind it…" Ed replied, "We can leave whenever you want." Ed added, Al smiled as he reluctantly lifted his head from Ed's shoulder, taking the forgotten rubber band, braiding Edward's hair before speaking.

"Now."

"Now?" Ed asked, Al nodded, after a few moments Ed smiled and nodded slightly.

It only took them a few minutes to get to the train station. Ed looked over at Al, confusion still danced on his features. He felt his heart skip a beat when Al looked over at him. A faint blush appeared on his cheeks, he quickly turned his gaze away, trying to hide his current state.

'_Why is Niisan acting so weird? Does he know! What if he thinks I'm disgusting? What'll happen to our bond?'_ Al thought, biting his lower lip nervously, he turned his gaze away from Ed and released a heavy sigh.

As they boarded the train, their arms slightly brushed against each other, causing both of them to blush, but neither pulled away. They took their seats quietly, only moments after the train departed, Ed's eyes closed; his body falling limp. Soon, Al felt the desire to kiss him right then and there, nobody else was on the train except them, and they had it all to themselves. But Al decided against it, it would all unfold sooner or later, and he wasn't ready to come clean.

Hours passed and Ed's eyes began to open, revealing his familiar, steadfast, golden gaze. Ed looked over at Al first thing and smiled.

"How long did I sleep?" Ed asked.

"Almost the whole time, we're just pulling into the station now." Al smiled. Ed stood up, but since his body was still stiff from sleeping so long, he toppled over right into Al's arms, his cheeks rapidly reddening. Al blushed, too, as he helped Ed stand up again, the two hopped off of the train and walked into the city. Just like Central, the town was filled with people, buying Christmas presents, Ed rolled his golden eyes and continued to walk, a nearby couple walked by, Al felt all of his desires come back to him. He was so jealous of the couple. At least they weren't related and the same gender.

"AL!" Ed called, that snapped Alphonse out of his daze.

"I'm coming!" Al called back, rushing over to his brother.

"Are you okay?" Ed asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Niisan." Al lied through his teeth, praying Ed wouldn't see through his bluff. He didn't. As they arrived at an inn and immediately walked inside, happy to get some warmth.

"May I help you?" The inn keeper asked, a warm smile appearing on her face.

"Yeah. We need a room for two, if that's not too much trouble." Ed replied.

"Of course, here I'll show you to your room, Mr.--?" She smiled, her face becoming puzzled when she realized she didn't know their surname.

"Elric." Ed stated with a smile, the young women's face brightened up.

"Edward Elric? The Fullmetal Alchemist?" She asked.

"Yeah." Ed smiled.

"Nice to meet you and this must be your brother, Alphonse Elric?"

"Yes, I am. Nice to meet you, ma'am." Al smiled.

"If you need any help, you know where to find me." She smiled, Al and Ed nodded and she led them to their temporary room.

Later that night, Ed was getting ready for bed while Al read a book leisurely on his bed. Ed's golden hair was let loose, no braid keeping it in place. He flung himself onto his bed and crawling under the covers. Al shut his book and put it on his nightstand before falling asleep as well.

Alphonse awoke to his brother's whimpering. But in the darkness, it was hard for him to see much of anything. Al got up from his bed and managed to find his way to the window, he opened the curtains and pale moon shine flooded into the room. He immediately turned his gaze towards Edward, who was thrashing around in his bed.

"Niisan…" Al whispered, walking over to him. He carefully brought his fingers to Ed's cheek only to withdraw his hand slightly when he felt that his brother's face was tearstained. Beads of sweat had collected on Edward's skin.

"Al…I'm sorry…!" Ed moaned. Al quickly pulled Ed into a tight embrace, burying his face in his shoulder.

"I'm here, Niisan. I'm here." Al murmured. Ed's eyes shot open. Soon, he realized he was in Al's arms and brought his arms around his brother, "I'm here." Al repeated, rubbing Ed's back to comfort him. Edward nestled his head on Al's shoulder and calmed down, "It's okay."

"I'm sorry I put you in the armor. If there is anyway I could re--." Ed started, but was cut off as Al shook his head slightly. Ed gave his brother a confused look as a smirk came to the younger Elric's face.

"It's okay." Al smiled, Ed opened his mouth to protest, but he decided not to, so he quickly closed his mouth, "Niisan?"

"Huh?"

"Do you want some company tonight?" Al asked, a faint blush appearing on his face. Ed's mind registered that for a second or two before he realized what Al was asking, he blushed wildly, but nodded nevertheless.

* * *

Hikari: Isn't that sweet of Alphonse? C'mon, Al, you're so close to getting sneaking a kiss! Oh, and the next chapter will be up as soon as I get a few reviews, so please, review! 


	5. Chapter 5

Hikari: Well, this chapter is short, but you can see how much Alphonse cares about his brother in this chapter. So as they say, it's short and sweet!

Oh, 'Kekkanashi' means 'Without a Trace'

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 5: Kekkanashi**

Al's scent mingled in the air around him. Ed sluggishly opened his eyes, only to discover that he was nestled up against Alphonse's chest. He blushed violently in realization, but he didn't dare move. Thoughts of the previous night came back to him. Edward slowly maneuvered out of Alphonse's arms and snuck out of bed. He grabbed his clothes and ran into the bathroom, closing the door gently behind him; he dropped his clothes and sank down to the floor, hugging his knees against his chest, burying his face. Minutes ticked by, he stood up and changed clothes, combed his hair and brushed his teeth. He slowly walked out of the bathroom and closed the door behind him. Alphonse was still fast asleep when Edward glanced at him.

"Damn it…I'm going hate myself after this." Ed murmured, grabbing his red jacket, pulling his arms through the sleeves, pulling on his boots before walking out of the room. Edward walked downstairs, where he was met by the inn keeper. Ed stood there, gazing around the room, he looked at a clock on the wall, it was noon.

"Would you like some lunch, Ed?" The inn keeper asked.

"Sure." Ed replied, putting on a fake smile. He was good at hiding his emotions in public.

"Okay, I'll go make you something, what would you like?" She smiled.

"Whatever sounds good to you, as long as I don't have to drink milk." Ed replied, she laughed softly.

"Okay, I'll make you hot chocolate with water and some stew. How does that sound?"  
"Fine, thank you." Ed answered. She walked off into the kitchen as Ed sat at a table, resting his head in his arms on the table.

A couple minutes passed and she returned and placed Ed's food in front of him.

"Here you go." She said sweetly.

"Thank you, ma'am." Ed smiled back at her.

"Please, Ed, call me Aozora." She replied, Ed nodded and Aozora returned to her other hungry customers.

After he finished his meal, Aozora walked by and took his dirty dishes, disappearing into the kitchen. Edward stood up and headed towards the door, unknown to him, Aozora watched him leave.

Alphonse woke up due to the blinding sunlight that filtered into the room. He groaned as he sat up and ran a hand through his hair, suddenly realizing where he was, he blushed wildly, cautiously looking over to his side. Edward wasn't there. Al's heart rate increased.

"Niisan? Niisan!" Al called out softly, getting out of bed, looking around the room for any trace of his brother. Nothing. Frantically, Alphonse changed his clothes and haphazardly combed his hair before slipping on his shoes and running downstairs. Aozora immediately noticed the frantic teenager.

"Alphonse!" She called, Al jumped slightly before facing her, she gestured for him to come over to her. He obeyed, hoping that she had seen Edward, "What's the matter?"

"I can't find Ed." Al admitted, feeling stupid for getting so worked up, but he couldn't help it.

"He's fine, I served him lunch half an hour ago. I think he went for a walk…but…I'm a little worried…" Her voice trailed off.

"Why?"

"I didn't think it was anything to worry about, but, nobody in their right mind would stay outside with weather like this." She said, nodding towards a window, "The storm kicked in about fifteen minutes ago." She explained. Alphonse felt his stomach tie itself into knots just thinking about Ed being out in this kind of weather.

"Thank you." Al said, rushing back to the room. He grabbed his jacket and hurriedly put it on as he ran out of the inn.

The small town was deserted, everybody must've went inside for shelter, and Al didn't blame them. He was hugging himself to keep warm as he squinted through the snow. It was so numbingly cold. What if Edward froze to death out here? Al shook his head at the thought, trying to get the horrifying thoughts out of his head.

"NIISAN!" Al called into the blizzard. No answer came, no matter how many times he repeated his brother's name, "EDWARD, WHERE ARE YOU?" Al called again, fear of his brother's safety eating away at his insides.

Minutes ticked by like eternities. Alphonse wandered hopelessly around the town. No matter how much he tried, his efforts were to no avail, for there was no sign of his brother anywhere. The weather had covered Edward's tracks, so he had no idea which way he had went in the first place. Now all there was to see was a white blanket covering the earth's surface. The tears in Al's eyes were threatening to fall.

* * *

Hikari: Review if you wanna know what happens next! See ya later! 


	6. Touwaku

Hikari: Gomen nasai! I was on a camping trip and I had half of this chapter written before I left, and I didn't have anytime to write. So I star gazed as the ideas came to me, I didn't have any paper at the time, otherwise I would've wrote it down, ah well, the good news is, it's here for you to read.

Oh and "Touwaku" means "Perplexity" enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 6: ****Touwaku**

"Alphonse!" Came Edward's concerned voice over the howling wind, Al's heart skipped a beat, he whirled around towards the source, he saw Edward about ten feet away from him. Warm, salty tears spilled from his eyes as he ran over to his brother, immediately clinging to him.

"Niisan!" Al whimpered, burying his face in Ed's red coat. Ed's strong arms enfolded around him, assuring him that everything was okay.

"Where were you, d-damn it?" Ed choked, his head resting on Al's shoulder.

"Looking for you…I couldn't stand the thought of you out in this weather, Niisan…you could have froze…t-to death." Al whimpered; his voice cracking.

"You overact too much, Al. All your worrying is going to get you sick one day. Besides, _I'm_ the older brother; I'm the one who's supposed to worry." Ed grinned, trying to push aside his own paranoia, failing at it miserably, "I went back to the inn and Aozora said that you just left…I panicked, Al. The reason I went back inside was to see if you were okay. When I found out you were out here in this weather…" Ed cut himself off, holding Alphonse closer to his chest, "Just don't do anything like this again."

"Okay…." Al replied, trying to calm himself by listening to the steadying rhythm of Ed's heartbeat. When Ed broke apart from the embrace, Al's body was calling out for the attention.

_'Niisan, why do I keep thinking about you like this? Brothers aren't supposed to think about each other this way…I'm such a bad little brother…'_ Al thought as he followed Ed back to the inn.

* * *

The clock chimed. It was ten and Al was tired, his eyes were already heavy with drowsiness. He yawned, eyes watering slightly. Ed looked over at him as he undid his customary plait. 

"You can go to sleep, Al." Ed smiled. Al met his brother's gaze and shook his head slightly.

"I like waiting for you to go to sleep." Al smiled.

"Well, I guess I'm going to have to go to sleep then." Ed said, his usual cocky grin on his features, a small laugh escaping Alphonse's body. Ed turned off the lamp on the nightstand. Moonshine was the only source of lighting.

* * *

Alphonse couldn't sleep; he turned onto his side and looked at his brother's sleeping form. As he recalled the previous night, he felt his insides get all warm and fuzzy. He longed to be snuggled up against Ed again. 

"Niisan?" Al blushed when he realized he had said that aloud.

"Al, it's two in the morning." Ed moaned, rubbing his eyes with his flesh hand.

"Can I sleep with you?" Al asked. If it wasn't for the poor lighting in the room, Al would've seen the red hue that had arisen on his brother's features.

"S-sure…" Ed replied, scooting over a little, Al crawled into bed with him. Alphonse curled up against his brother's chest, falling asleep listening to the steady heartbeat. Ed smiled contently and fell asleep.

* * *

Alphonse awoke, still cuddled up against his brother's chest. He looked up at his brother, a smile creeping onto his face. Golden bangs lay across Ed's face haphazardly, as for the rest of his hair; it was in tangles, sticking up in odd ends. But the peaceful expression on his face was what pleased Alphonse the most. His face was the definition of serene to Al. 

As much as Al wanted to stay in that position, he had to get up and get ready. He slowly got out of bed and quietly took a shower. Minutes later, he was fully dressed and was fixing his hair. Ed rolled over in bed, causing the blankets to tangle around his body. Alphonse sighed softly and continued with what he was doing. Once he finished, he walked over to Ed's bedside and gently brushed a few stray strands of hair off of his brother's face, stroking his soft skin after his small task was completed.

_'You're so beautiful when you're sleeping, Niisan …' _Alphonse thought tenderly, as he continued to stroke his brother's cheek, _'I wish I could tell you how I feel…but I don't want to destroy our bond. It hurts to keep this emotion locked up inside. I promised, if I find the opportunity to tell you, I will without a second thought…'_ Al's train of thought broke as Ed began to stir under his touch; he quickly withdrew his hand and stood up, making his own bed.

"A…Al?" Ed asked, still half asleep. Al looked up from what he was doing.

"Yes, Niisan?" Al replied.

"I-you…it's nothing." Ed finally concluded, struggling to get out of his swathe of thin sheets. Al smiled to himself as his brother squirmed in the mess he had gotten himself into.

"Here, I'll help you." Al laughed, walking over to his now frustrated older sibling; Ed sighed and allowed Al to untangle the blankets, "I don't understand how you can get yourself so tangled up, though."

"It's not my fault!" Ed pouted, folding his arms across his chest, "Damn blankets always try to make a straitjacket for me when I'm sleeping."

"Maybe you need one!" Al joked, getting a playful scowl from Ed, "Or maybe I do."

"Why do you need one?" Ed asked, a nervous laughter leaving his lips, as if he wasn't sure how to take that last statement.

"Well…um…" Al stammered, looking around the room, "You should…get ready…it's almost noon, Niisan."

"What's the matter with you?" Ed asked, brotherly concern kicking in.

"Nothing!" Al said a little too quickly, a reddish color appearing on his face.

"C'mon, you can tell me, Al." Ed smiled, getting up off of the bed, walking towards his little brother. Alphonse stepped back, "Are you sure you're okay?" Ed asked, advancing on his brother, golden eyes full of concern.

"Y-yeah…I-I'm fine…." Al stuttered, continuing to back up, as if he hated his Ed and didn't want the young alchemist near him; which was exactly how Ed interpreted his brother's unusual behavior.

"Did I do anything to make you hate me?" Ed asked, sounding hurt.

"No! I'd never hate you! Never ever! You're the most important person in my world, Niisan!" Alphonse replied, feeling terrible for making his brother feel that way.

"Then why the hell won't you let me near you?" Ed asked, his voice demanding. But Al knew that Ed's tone was hiding his emotions. What his brother really felt was sorrow and he needed to be consoled, even if he didn't show it.

"Because, I'm impure!" Al screamed; Ed stopped in his tracks and so did Al, _'No! I did not just say that. Stupid, stupid Alphonse.'_

_"_W-What are you talking about?" Ed asked in absolute perplexity.

"I'm-it's just…you-I...!" Al stammered, struggling for the right words.

"Al, breathe." Ed said softly, pulling Al into a hug, "Its okay. Calm down." Ed coaxed. The reassuring embrace seemed to quiet the younger Elric down just enough, "I'm here. I'm here, Al."

"You'll…h-hate m-me…" Al choked out, tears blurring his vision.

"I could never hate you, Al. No matter what crazy thing you do." Ed assured him, his voice soft and understanding.

_'Don't tell him! Whatever you do, don't tell him! He'll think you're disgusting and he'll disown you as a brother and your bond will be destroyed forever!'_ The voice in Alphonse's head screamed. Al winced at the thought of their special bond being destroyed because of his demented hormones, _'Get out of there!' _The voice screamed again. Alphonse was blinded by fear of being discovered, he squirmed in Ed's hold, but to no avail.

"Are you sick, Al?" Ed asked. Al didn't reply, merely continued to struggle in Ed's hold, finally getting free of his brother's grasp; he ran out of the room, tears streaming down his face, leaving his brother hurt and confused.

**

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**Hikari: Don't we all love cliffhangers? -sweatdrops- Sorry about all of these annoying chapters that leave you hanging and chewing your nails off in thought. I promise the next update will be soon. Please review, for reviews make me update faster! Sei-sei! -runs away- 


	7. Chapter 7

Hikari: -soaks hands in hot water- Almost two hundered words in the last two days...-sighs- My hands are so sore...anyway...chapter 7 is up.

Oh and 'Dashinuke Hakujou' means 'Unexpected Confession'

* * *

**Chapter 7:**** Dashinuke ****Hakujou **

Alphonse walked around outside, a gentle, yet numbing breeze flew across his face, making the tearstains on his cheeks freeze up. His heart had sunk its lowest. He simply could not believe that he had hurt Ed like that.

_'How could I have been so stupid? Niisan only wanted to figure out what was wrong. Ah! I'm such a terrible little brother. I cannot believe what I did back there? What was I thinking!' _Al mentally scolded himself. His dark, silver eyes were fixed on his shoes. The wind howled as it weaved its way through the maze of buildings, _'Ed's probably tearing himself apart for something he didn't do.' _

Half an hour passed by and Al could barely feel his skin. But he didn't think he could face his brother again. Of course he would have to sooner or later, and sooner definitely was better, since there were things that needed to be said between the brothers.

* * *

Meanwhile, the Fullmetal Alchemist was taking a cold shower, the icy water bit into his skin like razor sharp fangs. As he massaged shampoo into his hair with his fingernails, he contemplated on Alphonse's atypical behavior earlier. He was slightly miffed by the fact that Al wouldn't tell him what was wrong. The icy water rinsed the remainder of suds out of his hair as he abruptly stopped the water flow. Edward stepped out of the shower and pulled on his clothes before messily braiding his sopping wet hair, shaking his bangs out of the plait, he pulled on his boots and didn't even bother grabbing his coat as he ran out of the room. 

_'I'm going to get answers out of you, Alphonse, whether you like it or not.' _Ed thought angrily. Ed stormed out of the inn and saw Alphonse sitting on a bench, too deep in thought to notice his brother standing only two feet away from him.

"I want answers, Alphonse." Ed stated, his hands curling into fists. Alphonse jumped slightly and quickly looked towards his brother.

"Niisan…I-I didn't notice you there." Al stammered, his eyes widening in fear. Ed's gaze softened as he walked over and sat next to his sibling. Alphonse looked at Ed intently, the older teen was visibly shaking and his hair was letting drops of water drizzle down his back, "Niisan!" Al gasped, quickly pulling Ed into an embrace, resting his chin on Ed's shoulder, "You're all wet."

"Yeah, I know." Ed murmured, happy for the surge of warmth that spread across his body from Al's touch.

"You'll get sick if you stay out here, let's get you inside." Alphonse replied, grabbing Ed's wrist, pulling him inside.

* * *

Alphonse watched as his brother slept. The elder sibling had developed a fever in his sleep, hence the reason a red hue had arisen on his features. Gently, Al brushed a few strands of silky, golden bangs from Ed's face. Normally, Edward's skin was soft and warm, but when he had a fever, he was hot to the touch and made you want to immediately recoil your hand, but Alphonse pushed the fact aside and would slightly caress Edward's smoldering cheek. 

"I'm sorry I got you so worked up, Niisan. I'm such a terrible little brother. I shouldn't have left you alone perplexed and hurt like that." Al whispered the apology to his brother, knowing that Ed would not reply. Edward would be sixteen tomorrow and here he was with a fever just the night before. A pang of guilt hit Alphonse hard.

* * *

Nighttime was incredibly cold in the winter. Alphonse just couldn't get warm in his own bed that night. Perhaps it was just because he was so used to Ed's body heat; it was a challenge to sleep without him. Golden eyes opened slightly. 

"Al…Alphonse…" Edward murmured; his golden eyes half open.

"What is it?" Al responded immediately, happy to hear his brother's voice.

"C-could you sleep...w-with me t-tonight?" Edward asked. Alphonse's heartbeat increased rapidly as butterflies arose in his stomach, a blush appearing on his face.

"Sure." Al smiled, getting out of his bed, crawling into bed with his brother. The fever was going away, but a bit of pink still tinted Edward's pale cheeks. Ed snuggled up against Alphonse and immediately fell asleep. Timidly, Alphonse draped an arm around the sleeping teen and pulled him closer.

* * *

A clash of thunder awoke Alphonse instantly. The younger Elric quivered in fear. He felt stupid for still fearing thunder storms, but he couldn't help it, it was a fear he had not yet grown out of. 

"Niisan!" Al's voice just slightly less than a scream, shaking his sleeping brother's shoulder gently. The blonde alchemist stirred in his sleep.

"Wha'…is't, Al?" Ed slurred, his golden eyes opening groggily. When he noticed the look on his siblings face, he quickly sat up, "Are you okay?"

"There's a--." Alphonse was cut off by another booming sound outside of the inn. Ed's furrowed brow returned to normal in realization. Thunder. Of course. Alphonse was scared of the storm. Tiredly, Edward wrapped his arms around Alphonse and rested his chin atop his brother's head.

"It's okay. I'm here and I won't let anything happen to you." Ed murmured, stroking his brother's back with his flesh hand.

"I'm sorry I woke you up, Niisan. It's just that---." Another clap of thunder caused Alphonse's body to tense up. Quickly, the younger Elric buried his face against his sibling's chest and whimpered, shuddering in fear. Unknown to Al, Edward's face was reddening even more, not from the fever, but from his younger sibling's touch.

"Don't worry, you'll be okay." Ed coaxed, releasing Alphonse before lying down again, he was too ill and groggy to console his younger brother much longer. Al quickly curled up beside his brother beneath the covers, whimpering. Edward nuzzled his nose in Alphonse's soft hair, falling asleep to the familiar scent. Alphonse cuddled closer to Edward's bare chest, listening to his steady heartbeat. A few strands of golden hair hung in front of his face, Edward's scent mingled in the air around him. Finally, Alphonse felt secure and fell asleep curled against his brother.

* * *

Ed awoke at dawn from his fever. A layer of cold sweat had collected on the surface of his skin and was drizzling off of his face rapidly. His eyes were half open, still heavy with sleep. That's when he noticed Alphonse was curled up against his chest. He smiled contently. 

"Ah…Al…." Ed managed to say, his voice raspy. Alphonse slowly opened his eyes and looked at his brother. His heart skipped a beat. Edward was still very pale and his cheeks were slightly tinted by pink while a thin layer of sweat was barely visible.

"Niisan!" Al breathed, brushing aside a few stray golden strands before placing the back of his hand against his brother's forehead, he quickly withdrew it, "You're burning up!"

"I don't feel too good, Al." Ed murmured softly, curling into a ball close to Alphonse. Al sat up and managed to sit Ed up against their pillows before he hurriedly went into the bathroom, dampening a wash cloth to place on his brother's burning forehead. After cooling down his sibling's fever enough, Alphonse sat next to him on the bed and took Ed's flesh hand in his, massaging the top of his hand with his thumb subconsciously. Edward's hand was clammy and cold.

"You'll be okay, Niisan. I'll take care of you." Al smiled weakly. Edward managed a small grin before falling asleep. Seeing his brother so ill tore at Alphonse's heartstrings viciously.

After a few hours, Alphonse had gotten Ed's fever down quite a bit and Edward was awake and sitting up on his own and had noticed Al's fidgeting.

"Alphonse?" Ed asked.

"Yes?" Alphonse replied.

"You can brush my hair if you want." Ed smiled, Al returned the smile and happily sat behind the elder teenager and began to brush his hair. After a few moments, Alphonse finished with the brush and started to absentmindedly run his fingers through Edward's long hair. Edward leaned into his brother's touch. Alphonse used this to his advantage and carefully lifted Ed onto his lap while he was lost in his reverie. A few seconds later, Ed snapped out of his trance and noticed he was sitting on his brother's lap, he blushed wildly his body tensing up.

"Relax, Niisan." Al soothed, pushing the silky, golden hair over Ed's right shoulder before nuzzling the back of Ed's neck affectionately. Butterflies arose in the pit of Edward's stomach as his face heated even more. Alphonse's touch felt like fire to Ed's skin. When Alphonse felt Edward calm down, he smiled to himself, "Some birthday, huh, Niisan?"

_'Huh? Oh…of course, it's my sixteenth birthday today…' _Ed thought, feeling a little stupid for forgetting his own birthday.

"You didn't forget did you?" Alphonse asked teasingly. Ed flushed a deeper shade of red in embarrassment, or perhaps it was because Alphonse's lips were so close to his ear that made him redden, maybe it was a little bit of both.

"Of course not!" Ed said, sticking out his chest in pride, "What kind of idiot do you take me for?" Alphonse rolled his eyes at his brother's statement.

"You forgot, didn't you?" Al insisted, resting his head on the blonde's left shoulder. Ed's shoulders sagged in response and Al smirked in triumph, "Its okay, Niisan, you're not feeling well, it's very likely for you to forget." Al coaxed, lifting his head as he continued to rake his fingers through Ed's hair.

Ed crawled off of his brother's lap, trying to keep his face hidden while it was in this state. Confused, Alphonse gently pinned Edward down and quickly flipped him over, holding his wrists captive above his head. Edward helplessly struggled in that position, ashamed of the red hue that took over his face. So he quickly turned his head to the side.

Alphonse frowned slightly and took his left hand and tucked a finger under Ed's chin, gently forcing the shorter teen's head in his direction, a smile on his face as Edward stared into his eyes.

"Al!" Ed started to argue, his body on fire from how close Alphonse was, he struggled weakly. Alphonse wasn't about to allow Ed to start a meaningless argument again.

"No." Al stated softly.

"But Al--!" Ed started again but was cut off suddenly by Alphonse.

"No!" Al said a little more forcefully.

"Listen to me, Alpho--!" Ed began, getting annoyed by Al's interruptions.

"Niisan." Alphonse glared at his brother threateningly, "I don't want to argue with you."

"Well if you'd just listen to me we wouldn't be argue--!" Ed was cut off by Al pressing a finger to his lips.

"Stop it! I don't want to fight with you!" Al snapped, his gaze hardening while his nails painfully dug into Ed's wrists, while his body pressed against him uncomfortably. Ed was shocked, that wasn't a tone Alphonse normally used especially toward him.

"Alphonse, you're hurting me!" Ed whimpered as nails dug into his skin.

"Don't act like you're hurt because I'm scolding you!" Alphonse scowled.

"Your nails!" Ed said breathlessly, squeezing his eyes shut, clenching his jaws. Al slightly loosened his grip on Ed's wrists in response, Ed looked up at his brother fearfully. It was rare for Alphonse to ever be this angry with anyone, so when he was it was no laughing matter.

"I hate arguing with you, why can't you just understand!" Al asked, his voice softening as his eyes welled up with tears.

"Understand what?" Ed shot back.

"That I love you!" Al replied. Both Elric brothers were quiet after that.

* * *

Hikari: Sorry, yet another cliffy, well, if you wanna see what Edward's reaction is, you'll review as soon as you can! Sei-sei! 


	8. Chapter 8

Hikari: Sorry for the wait. But at least it wasn't a long wait, right? Anyway, I'm going to be gone for the next couple days so I decided to quickly update my Elricest story. Anyway, here's what you've all been waiting for, my fellow Elricest supporters.

Oh and 'Zutazuta Wakarewakareni' means 'Torn Apart'

* * *

**Chapter 8: ****Zutazuta Wakarewakareni **

Silver and golden eyes were locked, both boys panting in synch. It was only minutes after Alphonse's confession and both were still in a state of shock. Ed's face was heating up, his heart was fluttering as Al's words echoed in his ears.

_I love you. I love you. I love you._

Had he really meant it? As Ed recalled the look on Al's face when he said those words and a smile came to his face then. He _had _meant it. That's why Al had been acting so weird ever since his body was restored. All this time Ed thought that something happened in the transmutation or that Al hated him for those last few years.

"I love you, too." Ed smiled. Al's heart skipped a beat, he looked into his brother's eyes and began to cry, he relaxed his body and lay atop his brother, sobbing uncontrollably from joy, "I have for a long time, Alphonse."

"I've loved you since forever it seems. Even as a kid…but I didn't know what that feeling was." Al said between sobs, Ed weakly wrapped his arms around Alphonse's trembling form and pulled him closer, his own tears escaping his eyes.

"We can't have this relationship, Al." Ed murmured sadly. Al pulled away so he was looking his brother in the eyes.

"Why not?" Al demanded, brows furrowed as tears fell from his eyes.

"It's incest, Al. And to make it worse, we're both _boys_." Ed explained, Alphonse seemed to get more upset.

"Love is never wrong, when I was little Mom said that love is never wrong!" Al argued, "Besides, I don't know what I'd do without you, Niisan."

"How the hell are we going to do this, then?" Ed asked bitterly.

"We'll just make it work. We deserve this one thing, Niisan, after all of the things we lost, we can gain this one thing. Equivalent Exchange." Al replied, a smile on his face as he nuzzled Ed's nose with his own affectionately. Before Ed could disagree with the principle of Equivalent Exchange, Al pressed his soft lips against Ed's. It took a few seconds before Ed returned the kiss with the same level of force as Al. They broke apart for air, panting.

"Why did you stop?" Ed asked with a smirk on his face. Al returned the smirk and pulled Ed into another kiss, his fingers entangling themselves in his brother's silky hair subconsciously. Out of curiosity or instinct, Alphonse shyly tapped his tongue on Edward's lower lip, begging an entrance. But Ed didn't allow his brother the access he wished for, so Al decided to take matters into his own hands, so he used his tongue to gently pry the blonde's mouth open, hastily claiming the warm, moist cavern for his own.

After they were both too lightheaded to exchange another passionate kiss, both Elric brothers collapsed in a heap, Alphonse on top, Edward on the bottom. Neither noticed how much time had passed, but they felt like it been in eternity. Alphonse got on his hands and knees, his eyes locked with Edward's, slowly, he caressed Edward's cheek and brushed a few stray strands of golden hair back before feeling his brother's temple. The fever was still there.

"You still have a fever, Niisan." Al said sadly. Ed cupped his brother's cheek, lifting his head until his soft lips crushed against Al's, pulling away he smiled.

"It doesn't matter; you gave me a great birthday present." Ed murmured, closing his golden eyes, his body falling limp, his head turned to the side slightly, blonde bangs covering his face here and there, his breath soft. He was sleeping. Al planted a soft, mushy kiss on his slumbering brother's forehead before falling asleep beside him.

* * *

The train to Central was expected to arrive soon. Alphonse and Edward Elric were patiently waiting for it on the platform. Ed's fever was gone and the sixteen-year-old was back to his usual ways. Finally, the train pulled into the station and a crowd of people boarded it. 

About half an hour later, Ed was curled up on his seat, sleep peacefully. Alphonse smiled. The last time they were on a train Ed did the exact same thing, but this time, Al didn't have a secret bottled up inside. He couldn't wait to tell Riza about their vacation.

* * *

Central was busy, as usual. Alphonse kept glancing over at his brother, feeling the need to hold his hand or something. But everybody in Central knew that they were the Elric _brothers_, so he couldn't. And, even if they didn't know they were related, it'd still be…indecent. 

"Al?" Ed asked, giving him a concerned look, brow furrowed.

"What is it, Niisan?" Alphonse replied, cocking his head to the side slightly.

"You seem a little distracted. Is everything all right?" Ed asked.

"Well…I-well, we can't get affectionate in public, can we?" Al explained.

"No, sorry, we can't, Al." Ed said, his eyes darting away. Alphonse looked at his shoes. It wasn't fair; other couples got affectionate all the time, and since people said it was wrong for brothers to be a couple, they couldn't.

"Edward! Alphonse!" The voice belonged to Havoc.

"What is it, Havoc?" Ed asked.

"Roy sent me down to see if you two actually came back from your vacation." He smiled, "You are known to play hooky, Fullmetal." That earned him a glare from Ed.

* * *

"Feels great to be back, doesn't it, Al?" Ed smiled when they walked into their shared dorm. 

"Yeah." Al agreed, walking over to his bed, rubbing the back of his neck in thought, eyes fixed on the floor. Now that they were back in Central, could they go about with their relationship with all of the people around? Of course at the inn, they were getting a little risky with the kisses. Ed's smile immediately faded when he noticed that Al didn't look too happy.

"What's wrong, Al?" Ed asked, sitting beside Al, hesitantly placing a hand on his brother's shoulder.

"How are we going to have our relationship with all of these people around, Niisan?" Al asked, Ed ran a hand through his hair and sighed.

"Honestly, I don't know. But like you said, we'll just make it work." Ed smiled. Al couldn't stand it anymore. The next thing Ed knew, he was pinned down on the bed, Alphonse smirking mischievously on his hands and knees, their gazes locked. Before Ed could question the sudden movement, Al pressed his lips against Ed's, all thoughts quickly evaporating from the blonde's mind.

No matter how many times Al kissed his brother, he just couldn't get enough of him. He held fistfuls of Ed's clothing, pulling his brother as close as he could get without Edward being physically inside of him, lips locked, tongue exploring Ed's mouth; Edward's scent filling his nose. All of his senses were focused on one thing. Ed. As Ed pulled away to breathe he murmured, "Al…" his beautiful golden eyes piercing into the younger teen's soul.

"Yes, Niisan?" Alphonse replied, eyes half lidded as he gazed at his brother.

"I love you." Ed smiled; Al pulled him into another fervent kiss. Lips smacking, as Al's tongue searched the depths of Ed's mouth. Ed was clutching the back of Alphonse's shirt, moaning in the back of his throat.

"I love you, too." Al breathed. A knock at the door caused both brothers to reluctantly break apart. Ed quickly jumped onto his bed and grabbed his book off of the nightstand, opening up to a random part in the book, golden eyes scanning the pages. Alphonse laid back and stared at the ceiling, pretending to look deep in thought. The doorknob turned and Riza walked in.

"Hello Fullmetal. Alphonse." She beamed, shutting the door behind her.

"First Lieutenant Hawkeye? What are you doing here?" Ed asked, putting his book down.

"I came to talk to Alphonse, that is, if you wouldn't mind me stealing him for a while." Riza explained, her mahogany eyes trailing over to Alphonse. Al looked over at his brother.

"Sure. He's all yours!" Ed smiled, watching as Riza and Al left the room before sighing. He felt so alone without his brother.

* * *

"Was that vacation just what you needed, Alphonse?" Riza asked as she ushered the teenager into her office, shutting the door behind her. 

"Yes!" Al smiled instantly, "He didn't find out in the way I wanted him to, but he found out and he loves me too!"

"That's great, Al. You must be really happy." Riza smiled.

"Yeah--Riza?" Al asked. Riza slightly cocked her head to the side.

"Thanks for…well…everything." Al beamed.

"You're welcome. I'm just glad I could help." Riza smiled. After that, Al left the room and headed toward his shared dorm room.

* * *

"Niisan!" Al called into the dark room. It was late, he knew that well. But Ed never went to bed early. He walked into the room and shut the door behind him. Confused, he walked over to Ed's bed only to find his brother fast asleep. Slowly, Alphonse crawled into bed with his brother and snuggled against him, "I love you." 

Edward awoke early. His face was only millimeters away from Al's. He blushed and slowly pressed his lips to Al's forehead before crawling out of bed. It only took Edward a few minutes to get ready; he quickly braided his loose hair before leaving the room. Unknown to Alphonse, his brother had packed a suitcase. It pained him to leave Alphonse without saying goodbye first. Shortly after Riza took Alphonse, Roy had personally come to his dorm and took him to his office and assigned him a job out East in Lior.

The train pulled into the station and several people in the military personnel boarded the train, including the Fullmetal Alchemist.

* * *

Hikari: I guess I'm an evil person, sending Ed away to a war in the East, well...technically _Roy_ was the one who sent him, so if you have a problem, take it up with the Flame Alchemist, or the Fuhrer in this case. See ya! 


	9. Hitoride

Hikari: Well, here's the next chapter, so enjoy. Oh and if you haven't seen Al's wrath, stay away from him when he is this mad...

Oh and 'Hitoride' means 'Alone'

**----**

**Chapter 9: Hitoride**

Silver eyes opened groggily as Alphonse came out of his peaceful sleep. Immediately aware of his brother's absence, Al sat up quickly in bed, silver eyes scanning the room. Nothing.

_'It's nothing; Niisan probably went to go eat breakfast in the Mess Hall…no big deal…'_ Al thought, _'But Niisan normally sleeps in late—no! He probably just got up early because he went to bed early…yeah, that's it.'_

Alphonse hurriedly got dressed and he lazily pulled his long dirty-blonde hair into a ponytail before running to the Mess Hall. Since it was fairly easy to spot Ed, since his height was rather hard to miss, all Alphonse had to do was quickly scan the room. But to no avail. Frantic, Alphonse ran aimlessly down the hallways of Central Headquarters. While he was blinded by fear, he bumped into Havoc.

"Whoa, there Al, what's the matter, kid?" Havoc asked, grabbing the back of Alphonse's shirt collar, instantly causing the teen to halt.

"It's...Niisan…I-I can't…find…h-him anywhere." Al replied breathlessly. Havoc seemed a little relieved.

"Is that all? Hell, Alphonse, I thought there was a fire or something." Havoc grinned. Alphonse's gaze hardened at his friend's statement, "I could answer that fore you."

"Really?" Alphonse smiled, his darkened gaze returning to normal at the news.

"Yeah, Roy sent him out to Lior. It was really short notice; Fullmetal probably had to leave immediately." Havoc explained. Al felt his stomach churn. There was a war out in Lior. And his brother was in it, "You okay, Al? You look a little pale…"

"Where is Roy?" Al asked.

"He's in his office, why?" Havoc replied.

"Just wondering." Alphonse responded, heading toward Roy's office, leaving Havoc slightly confused.

------

Alphonse was furious. Usually in high spirits, it was rare that you ever saw Alphonse so livid, but once in a blue moon he would be, so when he was this enraged you better stay out of his way. When he finally made it to Roy's office, he slowly knocked on the door.

"Come in." Roy called. Al opened the door and walked in, shutting the door behind him. The younger Elric's eyes were veiled by his bangs, so you couldn't read his emotion by looking at his expression, "What is it, Alphonse?"

"Why did you send Niisan away?" Al asked, his voice had no trace of emotion whatsoever, but Roy thought nothing of it.

"I had to, there's a war and we were in need of a State Alchemist's touch out in Lior, therefore, I chose your brother. He's been known to pull anything through." Roy replied, preoccupied by signing papers. He was clearly tired and he didn't feel like talking.

"Roy? Honey?" Riza called from across the room, as she put a file in the file cabinet.

"Yes?" Roy smiled at the sound of his wife's voice.

"Something's wrong with Alphonse, he's not acting quite himself…" Riza's voice trailed off, as if she was still analyzing Alphonse's strange behavior. Roy chuckled softly, standing up, walking towards the teenager.

"Al seems perfectly fine to me, Riza." Roy grinned, placing a hand on the teenager's shoulder.

"He seems really angry." Riza cautioned, folding her arms across her chest.

"Al? Angry? Ha, don't make me laugh. The day I see Al angry is the day I see Ed down a glass of milk willingly." Roy replied. Riza rolled her eyes. Roy was beginning to get arrogant again, "Right, Al?"

"Why did you--." Al paused, turning to face the man behind him, a scowl on his face as angry tears fell from his silver eyes, "Send my brother away without me?"

"A-Alphonse?" Roy asked as he quickly withdrew his hand in shock.

"My brother is reckless! If somebody calls him 'short' he'll have a temper tantrum and most likely get himself killed!" Al spat venomously at Roy, his voice cracking as he spoke, "Bring him back home!"

"I can't do that, Alphonse." Roy stated calmly. Although Al's rage was scarier than Ed's, he knew from experience with Ed that he had to be stern.

"Why not?" Al growled.

"Your brother will be fine and since you aren't in the military, I forbid you from going to Lior to be with your brother, is that clear, Alphonse?" Roy said a little more forcefully. But that had no affect on Alphonse whatsoever.

"You aren't the boss of me! I'm not chained to the State like a dog!" Al scowled, his hands curling into angry fists at his sides.

"ALPHONSE! You are still a minor and you cannot go about doing whatever you please, you and your brother are not yet adults even though you are very mature for your ages! You will listen to your elders, Alphonse, and you are going to like it!" Roy yelled, "Am I clear?"

"I'M NOT A DAMN CHILD!" Alphonse shouted, "YOU AREN'T MY FATHER! AND THERE'S MORE TO ED AND I THAN WE LET OFF, MUSTANG!" And with that, Alphonse left Roy's office and slammed the door behind him.

"Make sure he doesn't leave Headquarters, Riza." Roy ordered, Riza nodded and got right on it.

-----

"Stupid Mustang. Niisan _needs_ me." Al muttered under his breath furiously as he walked back to his dorm. He slammed their dorm door and flung himself onto Ed's bed and breathed in his brother's scent deeply, unshed tears burning in Alphonse's eyes, "I _know_ Niisan needs me. I-I don't want him killed…" Al whimpered, clutching Ed's pillow tightly, tears wetting the soft cushion.

There was a soft knock on the door. Al looked over at the wood and glared at it angrily.

"Alphonse?" The voice belonged to Riza, "May I come in?"

"I guess…" Al sighed, releasing his hold on Ed's pillow as Riza walked in and sat beside him.

"Your brother should be back soon, that war is almost over." Riza assured him, Al bit his lip and looked away, "What's wrong?"

"Why can't I go to Lior? Niisan needs me. He'll do something reckless, I know he will." Al said, his voice hinting anger as he clenched his hands into fists.

"You know we can't allow you to go over there." Riza explained, trying her best to console the teenager.

"I just don't want Ed to get hurt! I can't stand seeing him hurt!" Al growled as tears slid down his face, "Just…leave me alone…" Al muttered. Riza sighed, she knew she had been defeated, so she slowly left the room and shut the door behind her.

------

Hikari: Well, the next chapter is started so it shouldn't be long...and here's what's awesome, the next chap is with Ed! Review if you want the next chapter soon!


	10. Chapter 10

Hikari: This chapter was hard to write. I was starting to cry as I wrote this. No this is NOT the final chapter, hell, I'm not even close to finishing it! The next chapters are going to take days to write and I probably won't be finished by the end of summer, so you'll have something good to look forward to during school...

Oh and 'Sayounara' means 'Goodbye'

----

**Chapter 10: ****Sayounara**

Edward hasn't seen his brother in almost a week. He felt so incomplete without Alphonse by his side. Plus, the heat of Lior was unbearable; he was always thirsty and tired.

"Fullmetal, you have a phone call from the Fuhrer." Falman called over to the teen prodigy. Ed sighed and walked over to the Falman and took the phone from him.

"Hello?" Ed sighed, his voice full of boredom as he examined his automail.

"Fullmetal, we have a problem here." Roy stated.

"What is it?" Ed asked, drumming his fingers on the table the phone was on.

"Your little brother is on rampage--." Roy's voice trailed off. Ed tensed. He knew how pissed off his brother could get and it wasn't a thought he was very fond of. Edward heard his little brother swearing and things breaking the background. Quite visibly, Edward shivered in fear, chewing softly on his lower lip.

"What the hell do you want me to do?" Ed scowled, rubbing the back of his head in irritation.

"Talk to him." Roy responded simply, another crash, "Easy, Alphonse!"

"If you don't send my brother home right now, I swear I'll strangle you with my bare hands!" Al growled in the distance. Roy gulped audibly and Ed went rigid.

"_Al's_ the voice of reason between us, what makes you think I can calm him down." Ed replied, voice shaking, not wanting to talk to his brother since part of this _was_ his fault for not telling Al he was leaving in the first place and he feared that he would be his brother's new target.

"I wasn't asking you." Roy said. Ed could just picture the smug grin on Mustang's face as he said this.

"Wait, Mustang! Don't--." Ed started, but a different voice was heard from the other end.

"Niisan?"

"Y-yeah, Al?" Ed stammered, bracing himself for the scolding he was about to get.

"When are you coming home?" Alphonse whimpered. Edward blinked in amazement. His little brother was supposed to be furious with him. Hell, Ed was _hoping _Al to be mad at him for being so stupid. Edward ran his flesh hand through his hair and sighed.

"I don't know, Al. I really don't know. Things aren't looking to good out here…" Ed explained. Al must've placed his hand over the receiver because Ed could only make out bits and pieces of his next few words, "Al?"

"Do you have any sort of guess of when you'll be back, Niisan?" Alphonse asked, his voice pleading Ed to tell him sometime soon.

"You know I would tell you if I could, Alphonse." Ed said, attempting a weak smile.

"Fullmetal, get off the phone." Fuery warned, "The General's coming."

"But—hell…Al, I gotta go." Ed groaned, starting to place the phone down.

"No!" Al pouted, his anger started to seemingly come back, "I need to hear your voice! I don't want you to get hurt!"

"I won't get hurt, Al." Ed assured him, trying to finish up his conversation before General Hakuro found him on the phone, "Talk-to-you-soon-I-love-you-bye!" Ed quickly jumbled the words and hung up.

----

"Fullmetal?" That snapped Ed out of his trance-like state, "You okay, kid?"

"Yeah…I'm fine…" Ed murmured, picking at his dinner.

"Fullmetal!" General Hakuro called, Ed looked up toward his superior in confusion, "Come with me." Hakuro stated. Not wishing to infuriate his general, Edward stood up and walked over to the man.

"What is it, General?" Ed asked, as he followed Hakuro out of his squad's tent.

"I am in need of your alchemic skill, Fullmetal. There was an explosion to the north and I chose you to help me investigate, but before we get out there, I'm sending a message back to Central, is there anybody you'd like to say goodbye to just in case?"

Edward stopped in his tracks. Had he heard right? General Hakuro…was telling him he might not come back alive? He made the mistake of not saying goodbye once and he wasn't going to make it again, especially if it was possible it was the last chance he had before heading north, his life on the line the entire time.

"General Hakuro." Ed said softly, he was trying his best not to cry his unshed tears, "Could I call my brother?"

"Of course, Fullmetal." Hakuro replied, taking Ed to his private tent.

----

"Hello?" Mustang said tiredly, he sounded pissed off.

"Put Alphonse on the phone." Ed stated softly, his golden eyes burning from the tears that were threatening to fall soon.

"Ed, it's late, he's probably asleep." Roy replied, yawning. It was true. It was quite late. But Edward didn't care; he needed to take this last opportunity and talk to Alphonse before heading to the bombing site.

"I need to talk to him." Ed responded simply, his voice beginning to break. Mustang noticed this and proceeded in the conversation.

"Is something wrong?" Roy asked.

"I might die. And I just want to tell Alphonse…goodbye…" Ed murmured.

"Of course." Roy replied. Ed waited a while before Al's tired voice came through the receiver.

"Hello?" A smile tugged at Ed's lips, he could see his brother rubbing his eyes tiredly, his hair in a tangled mess, cascading down his shoulders.

"Alphonse." Ed said a serious, yet sad tone. That gave Alphonse the shock of his life.

"Is something wrong, Niisan?" Al asked, "Are you hurt?"

"I made this mistake before and I'm not going to make it again, Al. Goodbye." Ed said, trying to force a smile. It didn't work, he broke down sobbing. This could be the last time he hears his brother's voice.

"Goodbye? Niisan—Edward, what are you talking about?" Al asked.

"I'm going to investigate something out north with General Hakuro…we might not make it back." Ed explained.

"You mean you could die? But…I love you too much to let you die! I won't let you!" Al said angrily. Ed pictured his brother's face perfectly. Brow furrowed in frustration, burning tears sliding down his face as he listened to this heartbreaking information, trying his best to find a single good thing about the current case scenario, "I love you."

"I love you, too, Alphonse." Ed murmured sadly, he couldn't do this anymore, telling his brother this was already killing him emotionally.

"Don't get too reckless…midget…" Al said, trying to get a different emotion out of his brother with that last comment..

"WHO YOU CALLIN' SO SMALL HE'D DROWN IN A SINGLE ONE OF YOUR TEARS!" Ed growled angrily. Alphonse laughed hollowly before responding.

"You always react like that even when you know I didn't say anything like that, Edward." Al said sadly, sniffling slightly. Hakuro walked over to Ed's side.

"You need to get rest, Fullmetal. Make it quick." Hakuro stated. Ed nodded, forcing himself to say goodbye to his little brother.

"Well…I have to go, Alphonse." He wished he could stay and talk until he could go back to Central…into the safe and loving embrace of his little brother.

"I swear when you get back I'll kiss you so hard I'll leave bruises, Ed." Al stated, he meant it. Edward waited for Alphonse to hang up before placing the phone down.

"We leave in two days, Fullmetal." Hakuro confirmed.

"Okay." Edward sighed, saluting Hakuro.

"Get some rest, kid." Hakuro smiled sadly, leaving the tent.

----

Alphonse stared at the phone before him for a long time. He had not expected to ever hear such tormenting information. Edward. _His _Edward, could be killed while out in Lior and he could do nothing to protect him. Damn Roy for sending him out there. Damn General Hakuro for choosing his brother to go with him on such a dangerous task. Damn…damn himself for not getting on that train to Lior after he found out that Ed was out there in war.

"Alphonse? Is everything alright?" Riza asked. Al slowly shook his head.

"Niisan—Edward…he might not make it back…" Al murmured, his voice breaking as tears spilled from his eyes, "Lieutenant?"

"Yes?"

"I'm going to Lior." Al stated, looking up at Riza, silver eyes full of determination.

"I can't stop you, Alphonse. Not when you're doing this out of love."

----

Hikari: -sobs- Jeez...Hakuro really knows how to pick alchemists! Anyway...don't get mad at me, get made at the General! -cough- And Roy -cough-.


	11. Chapter 11

Hikari: Well, here's the next chapter, and like I said before, I'm not anywhere NEAR being finished with this! Enjoy!

'Doutaini Matashitemo' means 'Together Again'.

**----**

**Chapter 11: Doutaini Matashitemo **

What he had said earlier was the truth. Riza helped him get to the train station right under Roy's nose. As the train pulled into the station Riza placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. He looked up at her with a questioning look in his eyes.

"I expect to get phone call from you as soon as you get there, Alphonse." She said, pressing a folded piece of paper into Al's hand, "Use my home phone and I swear I'll pick it up."

"Thanks Riza." Al nodded, placing the paper in his pocket, grabbing his suitcase, boarding the train. Riza watched as the train left the station, waving to the young Elric.

_'I hope you get there in time, Alphonse.' _Riza thought, walking off.

----

Five hours. Five hours until his departure north. He really wished he could sneak one last phone call to his brother, but Hakuro's been watching him like a hawk and frankly, it was pissing Edward off. Since he had grown up a great deal of his life without parents hovering over him, he didn't feel like he needed some General to act like a father figure to him. Edward winced at the thought. Father…that's one person he'll always hate.

It was taking all of his sanity to not sneak off to the train station and board the train back to Central at that very moment. He needed to see Alphonse again, to hold him and kiss him one last time. And, he had promised Al that he wouldn't get hurt, it was all Hakuro's fault for dragging him into this mess. Did the military _want _to get rid of him that much? Hell, he'd gladly resign if it meant he could be with Al all of the time. Then again, Ed considered that he had been on a pretty long vacation just a few days ago and it was quite likely that he'd be sent somewhere sooner or later.

But why did it have to be after Alphonse told him that he loved him? Why did it have to be him out in Lior when there were plenty other people that could be here in his place? Why couldn't it have been someone who didn't have one living family member left? Ed mentally scolded himself. He shouldn't wish this on anybody…except Roy…yeah; he'd like to see Roy out here in this damn war in his place. A self-satisfied grin spread across his features.

"Fullmetal? Are you still awake?" The voice belonged to Breda.

"Breda?" Ed's voice only a hair above a whisper as he called into the darkness, confused at why Breda wanted to talk to him at such a late hour.

"Okay, guys, he's awake." Breda sighed in relief. Before Ed could question why the man was acting so weird, two pairs of arms wrapped around his slender form and lifted him out of his bed and carried him outside of the tent, a hand clasped over his mouth to prevent him from shouting his assailants to put him down.

"Calm down, Fullmetal! See? It's just us, kid." Falman said, removing his hand from Ed's mouth.

"What the hell did you do that for?" Ed asked, his voice hushed as he growled at his comrades.

"Your automail would've woken up the general, so we decided to carry you." Fuery explained, rubbing the back of his head in slight embarrassment, "You're actually quite light even with automail."

"Who's so small that he--." Ed's tantrum was cut short as Falman slapped a hand over the fuming teen's mouth, they all sighed in relief as Ed calmed down.

"Quiet, kid, do you _want _to wake the General?" Breda asked, slightly miffed at Ed's cooperation level. Edward shook his head slowly, "That's what I thought. Now, let's get you outta here!"

"What are you talking about?" Ed asked as he followed the group of men.

"Well, we aren't going to let you go out north and get killed, kid. Your little brother needs you. Besides, our lives would be living hell if your brother knew that we could've helped you get out of this mess but didn't." Breda explained.

"You could lose your jobs!" Ed protested.

"We could care less, Fullmetal. We're getting you outta here as soon as possible." Falman responded, "Even if we have to drag you onto that train by your braid! Do you understand?"

"I appreciate this…but if the General finds out you're all in a lot of trouble. I don't want you sacrificing your jobs like this. I'm sorry, but I cannot get on that train." Ed replied, turning to go. Fuery placed a hand on his shoulder; Ed quickly looked at him with a confused look on his face.

"Your brother needs you, Ed. Not this war."

"I know…" Ed murmured sadly, "So this is why I'm going to ask you all this. I-if I die…I want you to be there for Alphonse and make sure he doesn't hurt himself."

"But Edward--" Falman began, but Ed only shook his head and waved his hand.

"Promise me this."

"I promise, kid." Breda said, saluting the teen.

"I promise I'll be there for Al, Ed." Fuery smiled, saluting Ed as well.

"I guess that we do owe you this much, Fullmetal." Falman sighed, reluctantly giving in to Edward's request, "But try not to get yourself killed out there."

"Believe me. I want to make it back to Alphonse more than anything in this world right now." Ed replied, walking back to his tent, "But I don't want you to sacrifice for me. When I took that alchemy exam four years ago I accepted the fact that I _would _be sent out to war at sometime in my life. Hopefully I make it through this." Ed said, _'Especially now.'_

_----_

The next day, Edward quickly dressed himself, his hair still down, he sighed and picked up his brush and started eliminating tangles from his hair, golden eyes closed as he contemplated about when Alphonse had first asked if he could brush his hair. A familiar blush appeared on Edward's face as he recalled that day.

_'Alphonse…I wish I could see your smile one last time before I leave. Well, I guess it's a good thing only Al can read my true emotions…or Breda, Falman, and Fuery would've seen that I was scared to go north.' _Ed thought as he finished braiding his hair. General Hakuro walked in and placed a hand on his shoulder, startling Ed slightly.

"It's time, Fullmetal. Are you ready?" Hakuro asked.

"Yes." Ed replied, a smirk on his face, _'Not really.'_

"Then let's get going. The sooner we leave; the better." Hakuro grinned, leaving the tent. Ed sighed and slowly followed the General. As Ed started leaving the base, he felt a hand rest on his shoulder, he turned his gaze to see Falman behind him.

"We'll miss you, Fullmetal." He said, Fuery and Breda nodded and all three of them saluted the two as they departed. Hakuro nodded and continued his journey to the north. Edward looked back at his comrades and gave them a sad smile before following Hakuro.

"There goes the Fullmetal Alchemist." Fuery murmured, "I never thought we'd lose that cocky teen like this, guys."

"Me either." Falman responded, "Too bad Alphonse wasn't here to see him go."

"Yeah, that poor kid's going to be so depressed if Edward dies out here." Breda sighed, starting to walk off, when the train pulled into the station, "Great, even more people that are putting their lives on the line."

Alphonse smiled to himself when the train came to a halt. The conductor walked in and looked at him with a smile on his face.

"We're here, kid." He stated, going back to the front of the train. As he hopped off of the train, he looked around the base for anybody he knew, preferably his big brother. That's when his eyes settled on the backs of Falman, Breda, and Fuery.

"Hey!" Al called to them, a smile on his face; surely they'd know where his brother was. Breda looked around, startled.

"A-Alphonse?" He stammered, Falman looked at his fellow officer with a puzzled look on his face.

"What are you talking about, Lieutenant Breda? Alphonse is back in Central." Falman replied.

"Well, explain why he's running towards us right now, Colonel." Breda argued, pointing towards the eager, smiling teenager that was walking toward them, tears of joy sliding down his face.

"Lieutenant Breda! Where's my brother? Is he doing okay? When does he head north?" Al asked, as he stopped in front of the small group of familiar faces.

"Kid, your brother-you just missed him, Al." Breda replied, Al's smile dissolved in a matter of seconds after hearing that. He didn't believe it, he _wouldn't_ believe it. No! Edward couldn't have left yet, not after he came here as fast as he possibly could.

"He's telling the truth, Al." Fuery said, Al looked over at the man, color draining from his face, "You okay, Alphonse? You don't look so well."  
"Of course I'm not okay! My brother is out there practically walking into death's arms and you're asking me if I'm _okay_?" Al snapped, "I'm going after him and you're not stopping me! I've come too far to let my brother get killed like this! He's not dying on my watch!" Al growled, starting to go north when he felt a tug behind him, he whirled around, an angry glare on his face only to see Falman holding his jacket.

"I can't let you go out there, Alphonse. Your brother can take care of himself; he's a big boy now!" Falman stated calmly. Alphonse growled in the back of his throat, baring canines as he clenched his teeth tightly.

"I'm not a dog of the military! You can't tell me how to run my life!" Al spat venomously, pulling himself free from Falman's grasp, starting to run when two arms wrapped around his slender body, jerking him into the air. Al struggled wildly, kicking and thrashing, trying to fee himself so he could follow his brother.

"You're brother wouldn't want you out there! He's the _Fullmetal_ Alchemist; he can do anything if he sets his mind to it, Al!" Breda said, trying his best to hold the thrashing teen firmly, "Now, let's get you back to Central!"

"But sir, the next train to Central doesn't come until morning." Fuery stated.

"Damn it! I guess Alphonse is camping out here until tomorrow." Breda sighed in annoyance, "Well, kid, you can sleep in your brother's bed."

----

Night in the desert was surprisingly cold to Alphonse. This was the first time he had been in a desert in his normal body. Everybody was sound asleep. A mischievous smirk crept onto Alphonse's face as he thought of something. Quietly, he pulled on his gloves that had transmutation circles on the palms and clapped his hands together silently, placing them on an extra pillow, making an accurate replica of himself. Trying to hold back his laughter, he placed the imitation doll on his bed and pulled the thin sheets over it before sneaking out of the tent.

_'I'm coming, Niisan.' _Al thought as he headed north, running as fast as he possibly could, he had to make up for lost time, "Damn it! I wish they would've let me go earlier, Niisan's probably far away from here by now!" Al groaned.

----

He was sore all over. Ed groaned in pain. His feet hurt, his muscles were tense and he felt like he couldn't move another inch, plus he was thirsty and very tired from the day's journey.

_'Hakuro, you don't know how much I hate you right now!' _Ed thought grudgingly. He was restraining himself from running back to the base right now, but he knew that he would pay for it if he did that, so he continued to trudge along in the sand behind the general. Edward decided to make the best of the current situation and think about his little brother, miles away from here in Central. Little did he know that Alphonse had snuck on the train to Lior with the help of Riza two days ago!

"Fullmetal?" The General called over his shoulder, Ed looked up, confusion dancing in his golden eyes, "We have another base just a little further, when we get there, we can rest." If Edward wasn't so tired, he would've leapt for joy and punched the air with his fist in triumph. So he merely nodded and picked up his pace, happy to hear that he could soon rest.

----

Alphonse's body was using his determination as fuel as he ran as fast as he could through the desert. He wanted…no he _needed_ to get to his brother as fast as he could, even if he was going to regret running this fast for this amount of time later.

_'I have to get to Niisan, he needs me!' _Alphonse thought, _'He's always been there for me when I needed him, so it's time I return the favor.' _

_----_

When tents came into view, Edward grinned broadly.

_'Finally! I can rest my tired feet.' _He sighed in relief, finding a new strength deep inside him and running to the military base. Hakuro merely grinned at the sight of Ed rushing to the base as fast as his feet could take him.

"General Hakuro!" a voice called from the base, "And he's brought Fullmetal!"

Ed was met with a group of people at the entrance to the base; he scowled and tried to push through the massive crowd, but to no avail.

"So this is Edward Elric, eh?" A voice asked from within the crowd.

"Jeez, I never thought he was actually this tiny!" Another voice echoed.

"Yeah, he looks like an elementary school kid." Comments like that were heard. Ed growled.

"WHO'RE YOU CALLING A MICROSCOPIC PEA THAT YOU CAN'T SEE?" Ed demanded, grabbing two random people bashing their heads together to prove how devilish he could be. That silenced everybody.

"Easy, Fullmetal. Sorry, I should've warned you he's not too fond of the word 'short' or anything along the line of that." Hakuro chuckled as he walked up to the steaming adolescent. Slowly, Edward calmed down, "Now, could somebody tell me where Edward's tent is?"  
"General, what are you talking about? I don't need my own tent! I just need a bed for the night!" Ed protested. Hakuro only waved a hand on Edward's face.

"Nonsense, Edward. You are the infamous Fullmetal Alchemist!" Hakuro smiled, ushering Ed into a tent, "Get some sleep, we'll be leaving first thing in the morning."

----

Twilight is when Alphonse arrived at the northern military base. He sighed in relief. Maybe his brother was there, nestled in a bunch of thin sheets, sleeping contently after a long day of struggling to survive in this war. Now he regretted running through the night, the soles of his feet hurt so bad, it felt like the skin had been scraped off viciously by some merciless beast that craved human flesh, and all his muscles and joints ached with every movement. But it will all be worth it when he sees his brother's smiling face and those eyes of captured sun pierce through his soul once again.

----

Golden eyes opened sluggishly. Ever since he was separated from his brother, he just couldn't sleep. Without Alphonse's soft, warm body snuggled up against his, assuring him that he wasn't alone in this agonizingly forsaken world. His flesh hand ran through his loose hair as he sighed softly. He wanted to see his brother again…badly. Oh, so badly.

"Fullmetal? Edward? Are you awake?" General Hakuro asked, peering into the slightly open flap of the tent, Ed looked over at him, "Good, c'mon, let's get going before the heat gets unbearable."

"Yes sir." Ed replied, "Just lemme get dressed."

"Of course." Hakuro answered, walking off. Ed quickly pulled his pants on and fastened his black jacket, braiding his long hair before pulling his red jacket on and slipping his tired feet into his black combat boots. He walked outside of his tent only to find Hakuro ready to leave, "Well, let's get a move on, Fullmetal."

----

That base was farther than it looked. It took about half an hour for Alphonse to actually get to the gates. And when he did get there, he saw a familiar face. Alexander Louis Armstrong. A smile came to the younger Elric's face as he ran to the tall man.

"General Armstrong!" Alphonse called out, finding it hard to actually call Armstrong a general after his recent promotion.

"Alphonse?" Armstrong asked, a smile came to his face, "Alphonse Elric!" He smiled, rushing over to the exhausted teenager. Before Alphonse could react, two huge, muscular arms enfolded around his lean body, twisting him into a rib-shattering hug, "Ah, Alphonse, what are you doing here? I thought you were supposed to be back in Central."

"I was…but my brother is heading north with General Hakuro and I thought he was going to need my help, so I had Riza help me sneak away so I could get to my brother…but apparently I was too late to stop him from go--" Al started, but Armstrong hugged him tighter, unaware on how uncomfortable the current position was for Alphonse.

"Your perpetual love for your brother is so inspiring, Alphonse!" Armstrong grinned, squeezing Al tighter, who was already struggling against a slightly softer grip before.

"General?" Al breathed, struggling uselessly in Armstrong's death grip.

"The brotherly bond between you two is so strong--." Armstrong continued to comment on how much he adored their strong connection toward each other. Al squirmed, trying to get into a more comfortable position, but it was hopeless.

"General!" Al panted.

"Yes?"

"I can't breathe!" Al breathed heavily; Armstrong placed him on the ground, where he practically fell over, "General?" Armstrong's brow furrowed as he looked down at the teen with confusion, "Has my brother been by here?"

"I'm sorry, Alphonse, but he left about half an hour ago." Armstrong sighed sadly, "But I can get you to him, you look like you need an escort."

"But you shouldn't leave your post on my account, General." Alphonse began to protested, but Armstrong paid no heed.

"No, no. I cannot allow you to wander around the desert unattended, in a war no less." Armstrong replied, "Besides, there are plenty other generals here that can take my place, Alphonse. Now, let us get you to your brother's side once again!"

Alphonse knew how pointless it was to argue with Armstrong, so he decided to keep quiet as Armstrong practically shoved him into his car and drove off. Al looked at Armstrong with a worried look on his face, Armstrong noticed this.

"What is troubling you, Alphonse?" Armstrong asked, startling Alphonse.

"Well…my brother…I…I don't want to see him hurt." Al admitted, his eyes focused on his hands that were clenched into fists on his legs, "If he dies…I don't know what I would do without him."

"Your brother is strong, Alphonse. You shouldn't doubt him like that, I'm sure he'll pull through whatever he faces." Armstrong replied, reaching over and ruffling Alphonse's hair slightly before placing his hand back on the wheel. Alphonse sighed sadly. Armstrong raised an eyebrow at this, "Something else is troubling you, I see."

"I just…I just don't like the thought of Niisan being out here in this war." Al replied, eyes burning with unshed tears.

"Nothing will happen to your brother, not with you here. Now that you're here I'm sure you'll make sure of that." Armstrong smiled.

----

A few minutes later, Armstrong handed Alphonse a canteen, "Here, drink this; you look like you need it."

"Thank you." Al stammered, taking the container from Armstrong, he started to slowly drink the cool liquid, not noticing that he was indeed, very thirsty until the water touched his dry lips. After he drank his fill, he handed the flask back to Armstrong. He gazed out the window up at the sky; a silent sigh escaped his lips as he thought about his brother. Oh, how he wanted to clutch Ed close to his chest and entangle his hands in that long, golden air and stare into those familiar golden orbs again. At the thought of his brother a sudden pang of sorrow hit him hard at that moment, he felt like his heart was being ripped in two over and over again and he simply could not stop it.

----

_'Stupid heat! Damn desert! I hate this! My feet feel like they're going to fall off because the General won't let us take a break!' _Ed thought furiously as he trudged through the dense sand, the air around him was scorching, and he was so thirsty. This was _not _his idea of traveling; it reminded him of his first trip to Lior, ugh…at least this time he didn't have to keep digging a seven-foot suit of armor that was his little brother, out of the sand. A smirk fell upon his face as he recalled that. It was a year ago, yet he still found it funny. He had acted so childish then; chasing his little brother around in mindless circles because sand had fallen on him since he had kicked his brother's hollow armor.

"Just a little further, Fullmetal, then we'll be at the bombing site." Hakuro called back to him.

_'Why didn't we just take a car!' _Edward thought bitterly. The heat was blazing, so Edward stopped, pulled off his gloves and stuffed them in his pockets and tied his coat around his waist, which relieved him of some of the extra heat.

Approximately an hour later they arrived at the bombing site. Ed stopped dead in his tracks when his eyes settled on the scene. Dead bodies of fallen soldiers and alchemists lay on the ground and everything was in ruin. A hand rested on Edward's tensing shoulder.

"This is what happens in war, Fullmetal." Hakuro said sadly, "Families get broken one by one out here."

"It's not fair. These people didn't do anything wrong! They were just trying to put an end to this madness." Ed murmured angrily, his hands curling into fists at his sides, "Wars have no meaning, it's just a bunch of pointless violence were many people are slaughtered because their superiors sent them out to the battlefield to take as many lives as possible."

"You've got it right on all points, Fullmetal." Hakuro replied, Ed looked up at him.

"Then why do you even start them! There's nothing to be gained except another war! What's taking lives going to do! Answer that, General!" Ed growled, his gaze darkened by hatred.

"I can answer that!" A voice called out, Ed and Hakuro tensed, looking around, "We can get rid of pests like you, Fullmetal!"

----

The car came to a halt when the bombing site came into view. Alphonse immediately got out of the car and ran about ten feet ahead before stopping. He tensed. He saw his brother and another figure walking towards him with a gun.

"EDWARD!" Al screamed, but it was no use, he was too far away.

----

A man approached Edward and Hakuro, Hakuro stepped in front of the young alchemist and pushed him back.

"Get out of here, Fullmetal!" Hakuro ordered. Ed stood his ground, "What are you waiting for, kid? Get out of here!" Hakuro hissed. Edward shook his head.

"I'm not leaving you, General!" He insisted, Hakuro glared at the stubborn kid.

"Get out of here, that's an order Full--." But his statement was cut short as a bullet pierced him directly in the chest. Edward's eyes widened in fear and his body froze up.

"You're next, kid." The man grinned, pointing his gun at Edward's chest. His finger started to pull back on the trigger when--.

"GET AWAY FROM MY BROTHER!" Alphonse screamed, tackling the man wrenching his arms behind his back, prying the gun from his hands and tossing it aside.

"Alphonse?" Ed asked in disbelief, Al looked up at his brother with a smile on his face.

----

Hikari: You go, Alphonse! Don't let anybody touch your precious brother! Next chap will take longer!


	12. Chapter 12

Hikari: Okay...no this is not the final installment, don't have a heart attack, I wouldn't permanently leave you hanging...anyway...here's yet another long chapter of 'Forbidden Love'.

'Kokuzuko Kougeki!' means 'Rebel Attack!'

-----

**Chapter 12: Kokuzuko**** Kougeki!**

At first he thought he was hallucinating because of the heat, but he knew that he was too scared to be imagining all of _this_.

"Are you hurt, Niisan?" Al asked, worry filled his silver eyes, Ed slowly shook his head.

"I-I'm fine." _'Now that you're here.' _Ed managed to choke out, he was still in shock. Alphonse had just saved his life only minutes ago. Armstrong rushed over, worried that a bullet had hit either Elric.

"Is everything alright?" He asked, looking at the man that Alphonse had tackled. Armstrong's eyes widened. This man…his eyes were as red as blood and his skin was dark. This man…was an Ishbalan.

"Get off of me, you little brat!" The man snarled, struggling under Alphonse's hold, Al shot him a deadly glare.

"If you ever harm a single hair on my brother," Al hissed venomously at the Ishbalan man, "I'll kill you!"

Armstrong looked over at the now dead general, Alphonse looked over at the body as well and his heart skipped a beat. If he had been a split-second later, that would've been his brother as well.

"That should've been me." Ed murmured, Al's eyes darted toward his brother with confusion and frustration dancing in them.

"Don't say that!" Al scolded, _'Don't you ever say that! I love you too much to let that happen!' _

"I think you've been in the sun a little too long, Fullmetal." Armstrong suggested, walking over to the quivering teenager, "Let's get you out of this heat."

"Don't think this is the last you've seen of me, Fullmetal. I'll kill you, because you killed my cousin!" The Ishbalan threatened, freeing himself from Alphonse's hold, Al scrambled away and grabbed the gun, "Damn it. Well, your brother here is determined to protect you this time, but mark my words, I'll kill you if it's the last thing I do." With that, the Ishbalan ran away.

"Niisan!" Al cried out, Ed looked at him with confusion until he was tackled, Alphonse straddling him as Al's tears splattered on his face, "I missed you so much! Are you hurt?"

"No, Al, I'm fine." Ed squirmed beneath his brother's weight, "I swear."

"I'm so glad he didn't hurt you!" Al smiled, pulling his brother into a hug, softly nuzzling his neck affectionately. Alphonse flashed a glance at Armstrong, who was staring at their odd positioning.

"C'mon, Fullmetal, you look like you need a rest." Armstrong smiled, picking Ed up.

"PUT ME DOWN!" Ed growled, kicking and thrashing in Armstrong's tight grip, "I CAN WALK!"

"Nonsense, you've just had a brush with death." Armstrong replied, "Alphonse, you can ride up front with me."

"No, I want to sit with my brother!" Al insisted.

"Your brotherly love is so motivating!" Armstrong smiled, squeezing Ed into a death hug.

"Damn it, Armstrong, you're killing me!" Ed groaned, struggling furiously, Al was about to help his brother, but he soon found himself up against Armstrong's chest, "Armstrong!"

"Here you go, you two." Armstrong smiled, ushering them into the car, they both blinked in astonishment when they realized their current position, Al was atop his brother and their noses were only millimeters apart, a split second later they were blushing like mad. Armstrong, however, did not seem to notice and started driving back to the northern base.

-----

Al uncomfortably shuffled in his seat. His mind was playing that horrifying scene over and over again. A small moan passed his lips as his stomach twisted itself into knots. If he would've been a little slower, his brother would be on the sand, dead like the general.

"Al?" Al jumped as a hand was placed on his shoulder; he looked at his brother, tears forming in the corners of his eyes. He was so lucky to have attacked that Ishbalan when he did, or he would've never seen the life that lit his brother's golden gaze so brightly ever again.

_'Damn it. Well, your brother here is determined to protect you this time, but mark my words, I'll kill you if it's the last thing I do!' _Al stiffened at the thought and bit his lower lip, chewing on it gently.

"Al, are you okay?" Ed asked, his voice filled with concern, eyes piercing into the younger teen's soul. Al started crying and without thinking, threw himself on his brother and clutched his clothing, tears soaking into the soft fabric. Edward started to stroke the top of his brother's head, with his flesh hand, murmuring comforting words to the shaken adolescent.

"He…could've killed…you…" Al said between hiccups, burying his face into his brother's shirt.

"Yeah, but he didn't. He didn't stand a chance against you." Ed smiled. Alphonse looked up at his brother, blinking back tears.

"You're coming home." Al's voice was only a hair above a whisper; Ed took the statement as a question and sighed.

"Not until Mustang says that I can, Al." Ed replied. Alphonse's gaze darkened.

"I wasn't asking you." He hissed softly, so not to concern Armstrong.

"But, Al, Mustang will just send me back here the moment I step foot off of that train." Ed replied, rubbing the back of his neck, casting his gaze aside.

"You almost got killed! If I wouldn't have come out here, you would be dead out here in the desert and nobody would've known for a long time! And by then there probably wouldn't be anything left of your corpse, so they'd just assume that you were captured!" Al growled in the back of his throat, "You're the only family I have and I'm not going to let you throw your life away out here in some senseless war! If you die, I die!"

"Don't say that!" Ed scolded, "Don't you ever say that, you here me? If I die you need to keep living! 'We all need to just live and be content while we can', remember?"

"How could I forget? It was on the same day you almost threw your life away because you thought Scar killed me, when you could clearly hear me screaming at you! And a little bit before that, you just said that a life didn't equal a life!" Al scowled, folding his arms across his chest.

"Well, I wasn't about to let you die! What kind of brother would I be if I just let you die at the hands of that damned serial killer?" Ed spat.

"Why don't you just shut up? Just shut up!" Al shouted at him, turning away, staring out of his window.

"Don't tell your older brother to shut up, Alphonse!" Ed retorted, his golden eyes fixed on his brother angrily.

"I'll tell you to shut up whether you like it or not!" Al replied angrily, "So just shut the hell up, Fullmetal!"

"Alpho--" Ed started to reply, his voice gentler, he sounded hurt, but Al glared at him.

"Don't talk to me!" He growled, _'I don't want to say something that I don't mean…you're all I have, Niisan. You're my…everything and I don't want to grow apart because of some stupid argument.' _Al thought, trying to calm himself down. They both avoided each other's gaze for the rest of the ride.

----

Once they arrived back at the base, Ed immediately opened his door and got out; Al started to crawl over to Ed's open door, intending on getting out of the same door as his brother, but as soon as Ed stepped foot on the ground, he slammed the door shut. Hard. Al jumped slightly; he wasn't paying enough attention to see his brother slam the door in his face. He quickly opened the door and got out, shutting it softer than his brother had; he had gotten out in time to see his brother storm into his tent.

"Niisan!" Al called to him, rushing over to the tent, his hand timidly reaching toward the closed flap, "Niisan?"

"I'm not supposed to talk to you, remember?" Ed said angrily from inside the tent. Al's hand froze.

_"But I didn't mean that! I was just mad!'_ Al thought, quickly trying to get the words out of his mouth, "I didn't mean that, I wasn't thinking clearly, c'mon, Edward."

"Leave me alone." Ed replied, Al took a deep breath before walking into the tent, shutting it from the inside, "Al, I told you to leave me alone, I'm tired and I'm upset, I don't want to say something I'm going to regret later, okay?"

"Please, I'll understand, just don't be mad at me--." Al started to respond, but Ed looked up at him, silencing him instantly with an undecipherable look on his face.

"No. Just…go…I really don't want to say something that I don't mean, okay, Al? Just go play or something." Ed sighed, scratching the back of his neck, his golden eyes fixed on the floor. Al looked up at his brother with eyes glazed with unshed tears threatening to fall at any given chance. Ed felt a pang of guilt hit him suddenly as he started to slowly nibble on his lower lip.

"Damn it, Niisan!" Al muttered, his eyes piercing into Edward's soul, "You don't understand do you? I almost lost you!" Alphonse's voice was only a hair softer than a shout.

"Al…I--" Ed started, but Al cut him off again.

"I'm not about to let some crazed psychopath with a gun get trigger-happy around you! You're not just my brother you're--!" Al started, but Armstrong had walked in and the look in Edward's eyes told him to shut up.

"Am I interrupting something, boys?" Armstrong asked, Ed slowly shook his head, "Very well, I'll have somebody bring in your supper, carry on." He said before leaving the tent. Ed looked over at Al.

"Alphonse…you need to be more careful when you're talking about…you know…" Ed's voice trailed off.

"I don't care!" Al replied instantly, Ed looked up at him in shock, "I don't care what anybody thinks, I don't care if this is wrong. I don't care what happens to me because of it, all I care about is you not getting hurt!" Al scolded his voice softer as he spoke again, "Because I love you, Edward."

"I love you, too." Ed murmured, "But I don't think we can keep this relationship anymore, okay?"

"What are you talking about? I thought you liked this! Don't leave me, Edward, please!" Al begged, "I love you…we'll make it work, remember?"

"It's not that…Al…it's…" Edward began, but cut himself off.

"What is it, Ed?" Al asked, taking a step closer to his brother, "You can tell me."

"I don't want you getting hurt." Ed stated, looking up at Al, "If people find out, they'll take you away, Al. We'll never be allowed to see each other again, Alphonse." Al stood there looking emotionless for a while before slowly stepping closer to his brother, grabbing the front of his shirt and forcing him to look into his eyes.

"I am not a child anymore, damn it!" Al stated, his eyes filled with fury, "Don't you dare treat me like one, you hear me, Edward? I'm the one that's worried, Niisan! We'll make it work!" He stated angrily, shaking him vigorously.

Edward said nothing; he was utterly shocked that Alphonse would be so violent toward him all of a sudden.

"I love you too much…" Al whispered, resting his head on Ed's shoulder, wetting the fabric with his tears. Ed had broken; he smiled and hugged his brother in a slight, yet assuring response.

"I'm sorry, Al. I didn't mean to get you so worked up." Ed murmured, kissing his brother's forehead, "I love you, too." Before Ed could blink, Al pressed his lips roughly against his own, pressing against the golden-eyed alchemist until his feet couldn't support himself anymore and they both landed on the cot, exchanging kisses that were burning with the fiery passion they had stored up over the last few days.

----

Ed's eyes shot open, cold sweat dripping from his face, he looked around frantically and saw Al curled up next to him, in a peaceful sleep, he sighed in relief and gently stroked Al's soft cheek. He didn't feel the need to wake up his brother because of some nightmare that had just occurred. But he didn't want to go back to sleep either, for fear of the terrifying scenes that lurked behind his closed eyelids. Just then, a gun shot was heard off in the distance, Al's eyes shot open and he immediately latched onto his brother's arm, shaking quite visibly, trying making sure his precious brother was safe and sound.

"Edward…you're safe…" Al sighed softly, pulling his brother close to his chest, smoothing his brother's unbraided hair.

"It's okay, Al…nobody's going to hurt you while I'm around, okay?" Ed replied, Al gently tilted Ed's head up, so they were looking into each other's eyes.

"It's not me that I'm worried about, Ed. It's you." Al responded tenderly, connecting their lips in a soft kiss, when he pulled away, he held Ed tighter as another gun shot was heard closer than the last one. It was then shouts were heard outside of their tent, Ed quickly got out of bed and started to haphazardly braid his hair, Al placed a hand on his brother's shoulder and took the rubber band from his brother's fingers, quickly plaiting the silky hair, putting his own hair in a ponytail before pulling on his boots and jerking on his gloves. Ed did the same and ran outside. The night air was cool against their bare arms, but it didn't bother them in the least, Armstrong rushed passed them.

"General Armstrong, what's going on?" Ed asked, Armstrong glanced at the young alchemist and stopped in his tracks.

"There's been an attack to the east of this base, it's the rebels, Fullmetal, they're here and they want bloodshed."

"Ed…" Al whimpered behind him, Ed looked at his brother and smiled.

"It'll be okay, Al. You're safe with me around, okay?" Ed said.

"That's not what I'm worried about…I'm worried about that Ishbalan that wants to kill you." Alphonse admitted.

"I highly doubt he'll try to get near me after what you did to him, Al. I bet he's all talk and no action." Ed grinned, turning to Armstrong, "Let's go, watch Al for me, okay?"

"I'll guard your brother with my life, Fullmetal." Armstrong nodded, Ed saluted him before running off; it was then tears slid down Alphonse's face .

"Just come back alive!" Al called after him, "Don't you dare die!"

"I won't!" Ed called over his shoulder, quickly transmuting his arm into a blade as he vanished from sight with many other soldiers.

'_Be careful, Niisan…' _Al thought as his eyes were still fixed on the horizon, tears spilling from them, _'Don't leave me here all alone. You're all I've got!'_

_----_

"Damn it!" Ed scowled, as he dodged a blade that was thrown at him, he quickly knocked out two rebels with ease, golden eyes darting around, looking for any trace of danger. He was about to relax when a bomb went off, sending sand flying everywhere, making it hard to see.

"Gotcha, Fullmetal, you're going to pay for taking my cousin's life!" A familiar voice hissed directly in Ed's ear, Ed immediately jumped away, the sand cleared and he saw he was surrounded by the rebel troops. He growled in the back of his throat, getting into a fighting position, ready to take on any bastard that tried to lay a finger on him. Three men attacked him at once, while he was busy with them, the lead rebel, the Ishbalan that tried to kill him earlier, ran toward him, Edward was completely unaware of this fact until it was too late, he tried to dodge, but the red-eyed man had caught a hold of his braid, holding him captive.

"Brock has him!" A rebel called from within the crowds. Ed glared at the man behind him.

"I'll make this nice and quick, kid." Brock grinned, pulling out a blade, putting it to Ed's neck, he swung back so he would impale Ed hard, but just as he was about to slit Ed's throat, Ed moved, so the sword missed him. Unbeknownst to him at the time, his long hair had been chopped short in the evasive maneuver. When he faced his assailant, he noticed the braided golden hair in his hands, instinctively, he reached back to feel his long braid, but his fingers only felt hair to about halfway down his neck, "Kill all other soldiers, leave the brat to me!" Brock growled, advancing on the now short-haired blonde.

----

Back at the base, the rebels were fighting around the base, soldiers and rebels both lay slaughtered on the ground in a bloody genocide. Alphonse stayed close to Armstrong's side. The massive amount bloodshed was too much for him to handle, he needed to see his brother, to be assured that Edward was okay. Armstrong placed a hand on his shoulder, startling the younger Elric.

"You're brother is strong, you shouldn't doubt him, Alphonse." Armstrong said, Alphonse nodded, but he just couldn't make this feeling go away, the feeling that his brother was in grave danger at that exact moment.

'_Calm down, Alphonse. Niisan's okay, he always makes it through the impossible. Maybe I'm just paranoid…yeah, that's it…just a bad case of paranoia…that's all…I'm sure Edward's fine…' _Al thought, but that still didn't help the sickening feeling in his gut. Armstrong was doing his best to give orders and protect Alphonse, but it was rather hard when so many were being killed right before his eyes. Nevertheless, protecting Alphonse was his top priority, everything else was secondary to him, for he had promised Edward that his brother would stay out of harm's way at all costs.

"General?" Al asked, Armstrong looked down at him.

"Is something the matter, Alphonse?" Armstrong asked, "Are you hurt?"

"No, it's not that, General…it's…I have this feeling that Niisan is in trouble…" Al's voice trailed off as he cast his gaze aside. A hand rested on his shoulder, giving him the courage to look up at the man.

"Fullmetal is a strong boy, I'm sure he'll pull through. War is a heartless beast, I'll give you that, Alphonse. But Fullmetal can pull off anything, even if is seemingly impossible. Besides, your brotherly bond will not be shattered at the hands of this war, not here, not ever, do understand what I am telling you, Alphonse?" Armstrong asked, Alphonse nodded.

"Yes, General. Thank you." Al smiled weakly, Armstrong ruffled his hair before turning his gaze to the battlefield.

"You're welcome, Alphonse. And remember, your brother will do anything to keep his promises, Al, especially if that promise is to you." Armstrong stated, Al agreed and settled his gaze on the mass murder that was occurring right before his eyes.

----

The only thing Ed could do was run, but since Brock's legs were longer than his, the Ishbalan's strides took him further, which didn't help Edward out too much. The Ishbalan tackled the young alchemist and pulled out a pocket knife, placing the side of the blade to Edward's neck.

"Now, come with me quietly, or I'll kill you on the spot, kid." The Ishbalan hissed, Ed knew that he had no choice if he was going to keep his promise to Al, so he slowly nodded his head, trying not to injure himself in the action, "That's a good little alchemist, now c'mon!" He smirked devilishly, pulling Ed's wrists hard, jerking the adolescent up, "Let's get you back to the base, kid."

"Just stay away from my little brother!" Ed stated, his golden gaze fixed angrily on the man. Brock looked at him, a devilish grin appearing broadly on his features as something occurred to him, and Ed didn't like it.

"I'll make a deal with you, runt, if you cooperate with me, I'll order my men to leave your precious sibling alone, but if you slip up just once, I'll have my best man kill him." Brock grinned, Ed went rigid, his eyes wide with fear for his brother's safety, "Do we have a deal, brat?"

"Yes." Ed agreed without hesitation, "Just don't hurt him. I'll do anything."

"Good. Night-night, pipsqueak." He grinned, Ed looked at him in confusion, but he was soon hit on the back of the head and his world was spinning, within moments, he slipped into unconsciousness.

----

Alphonse shuddered, now he really felt nauseated, he _knew _his brother was in trouble, he could sense it. He wasn't just paranoid. Armstrong looked down at him in puzzlement.

"What is troubling you, Alphonse?" Armstrong asked, raising an eyebrow.

"My brother's hurt! I felt it! You've got to believe me, General, I'm not just paranoid! Something is wrong with Niisan and I need to help him!" Al explained, eyes pleading Armstrong to let him go and find his precious brother.

"I'm sorry, Alphonse, but until these rebels stop attacking, I can't let you leave the base." Armstrong stated.

"But Niisan needs me! I know he's hurt! Something bad happened out there!" Alphonse protested, tears stinging his eyes as they threatened to fall.

"If you allow your mind to trick you into believing something bad has happened, it affects the rest of your body, I'm sure Edward is running back here at this very moment." Armstrong smiled, Al attempted a weak smile, but had no such luck, instead, he sighed heavily and looked off into the distance, a lone tear trickled down his cheek.

_'I'll help you, Niisan, just hold on…'_ Al thought, the nauseating feeling permanently finding a resting place in the pit his stomach.

----

Hikari: Well, the more reviews, the faster I update, sorry for the extended wait, I'm in Algebra 1 (Advaned eighth grade math for me) so I've been overloaded with homework, I promise to update as soon as I can...


	13. Kin

Hikari: Okay, here's the next installment of 'Forbidden Love. I'd like to tell you that there's a new State Alchemist and you're all going to love him to pieces! His name was inspired by an awesome story you should read it! I hope it's okay if I use his name...

'Kin' means 'Golden'

----

**Chapter 13: Kin **

Edward awoke to a searing pain in his side; he looked around the dimly lit room, his eyes trying to adjust to his surrounds as quickly as they could. A silhouette walked toward him and kicked him in the side, sending him sliding across the floor.

"Looks like the brat's up now, Brock." The silhouetted figure stated.

"Good. Go send his superiors the news of his capture and tell them that if they don't release our comrades from their prisons, they'll have one less teen prodigy hanging around." Brock grinned smugly. The other man nodded and left the tent. Brock walked over to Ed, "Looks like you're going to help us win this war."

"I'd never help the likes of you!" Ed spat venomously, glaring at the man that was now looming over him.

"You don't have a choice in the matter, brat, I hold all of the cards from here on out." Brock grinned, grabbing the front of Ed's tank top, jerking him into the air, "And there's nothing you can do to stop me if you want your little brother to see another day."

Edward stopped all movement, causing the Ishbalan to grin fiendishly.

"The fate of your brother depends upon your cooperation, Fullmetal." He smirked, letting go of Ed's shirt, letting the teen hit the stone hard ground, "Now, you can either join us willingly or I'll have to do this the hard way."

"Forget it! I'll never join you!" Ed growled, Brock grinned.

"Oh, no? Well, if you won't join the rebellion willingly, I'll have to make you." Brock grinned, Ed clapped his hands together behind his back and broke free of the chains that bound him to the wall, he quickly transmuted his arm and ran toward the Ishbalan man in rage, but his actions were in vain, for Brock dodged and wrenched his left arm behind his back, holding him in place for a few seconds before chucking Ed across the room. The blonde's head hit the ground, and he lost all consciousness within seconds of the impact.

----

Alphonse was worried, all of the surviving soldiers had returned back to the base, but his brother wasn't with them. Armstrong was doing his best to track down the missing alchemist, but he was only kicking up dirt. As Al walked around the base, he remembered the last few things they had said before Ed's disappearance.

'_Just come back alive! Don't you dare die!'_

'_I won't!'_

His brother had told him everything was going to be okay, but it was all a lie. Nothing was okay. Alphonse looked around the base; the soldiers were pretty banged up. As he made his way passed the crowd, he heard somebody call his name.

"Alphonse!" It was a soldier with a busted arm.

"What is it? Do you need anything for your arm, sir?" Al asked, walking over to the injured man.

"Nah, my arm's doing just fine right now. Listen, I saw what happened to your brother, but I couldn't do anything to help him because he was surrounded by too many rebels." The man explained, "He was fighting off a couple of rebels, when a bomb went off." Al tensed, "He was fine, don't worry. Well, then the leader, an Ishbalan, had him by the braid, after that, the rest of the rebels surrounding him got in the way, and I didn't see anymore. All I remember is the sound of a sword being pulled out of its sheath."

"They didn't…they didn't kill him did they?" Al asked, feeling his stomach tie itself into knots at the thought.

"No, but I think I saw something gold…like his hair in the sand, but I'm not sure, kid. All I know is that they didn't kill him."

"How are you so sure?"

"They way I see it, they were going to kill him, but then there was a change of plans and they just took him to their base, nothing more." The soldier explained, rubbing his injured arm, trying to ease the pain it was causing him.

"He's alive?" Al asked, a grin coming to his face. The soldier nodded, "Thank you!" Al shouted over his shoulder as he ran off, toward his tent that he shared with his brother. Once there, he pulled on his brother's black jacket that he had left behind, quickly pulling his arms through the sleeves, and fastened the jacket, grabbing the red jacket that his brother wore for so many years. He looked in a mirror and smirked. Now he _looked_ like the brother of Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist.

"Alphonse!" Came a familiar voice, but it couldn't be. _She _wasn't supposed to be here.

"Riza?" Al asked, coming out of the tent. Sure enough, Riza Mustang was standing outside of his tent with a serious look on her face, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong…well…besides that fact that…" Her voice trailed off.

"What?"

"Your brother…the rebels do have him. Don't worry, he is alive." Riza explained, Al nodded, hating to hear this news again, "Anyway…Roy has something for you."

"What is it?" Al asked.

"Why don't you ask him yourself?" Riza smiled. Al gave her a confused look until he felt a hand rest on his shoulder; he looked around and saw Mustang behind him, a smile on his face.

"Mustang?" Al asked, immediately tensing, bracing himself for a scolding. Mustang smirked and reached into his pocket, pulling out an envelope, handing it to Alphonse.

"Open it." Roy said softly, walking over to his wife's side. Al obeyed and quickly opened the envelope, pulling out its contents. It was a letter. Alphonse read the letter and his breath stopped when he read the bottom.

_The name "Soul" is given to Alphonse Elric._

_Fuhrer Roy Mustang_

Al looked up at his superior and a smile came onto his young face as he nodded. Roy reached his hand into his pocket again and his hand came up, curled around something. Alphonse didn't know what was happening; only that he was now the "Soul Alchemist". Roy tossed the object toward Al, it glinted in the sunlight and Al held out both his hands, catching the small, glistening object. He looked at it and immediately knew what it was. A replica of the silver watch his brother possessed.

"Sir--" Al murmured, looking up at Roy with a newfound determination in his eyes.

"You said that you weren't chained to the military, Soul. Now you are." Roy grinned with satisfaction, "Riza told me what happened and when we got word from General Armstrong, we came as fast as we could. We didn't get any sort of ransom, so apparently he was just captured, am I right?"

"Yes, Sir." Al replied, he couldn't hide things from Roy now, since it was very clear he had to bark when told to speak.

"Either he is dead…or they don't have any intention on handing him back to us." Roy sighed, "I'll get an investigation going on this, Soul. We'll bring your brother back safely."

"No. I don't want an investigation." Al paused, looking up at Roy, a fire living off of passion shone brightly in his silver eyes as he spoke, "I want to bring my brother back on my own." Roy looked at the teenager for a long time before looking over at his wife, who nodded, silently telling her husband that would be the wisest thing. To, in fact, let Alphonse bring his precious brother back safely.

"Very well." Roy stated, a smile rose on Alphonse's face, "Soul, bring your brother back to us safely."

"You can count on it." Al assured his superior, "He means everything to me."

Roy, still oblivious to the precise intensity of the relationship Ed and Al shared, took Al's statement as a unique brotherly bond between the two. Riza, however, knew the depth to Alphonse's words, and she knew them well.

"Alphonse!" Riza called as Al started to leave, he looked at her in confusion, thinking something was wrong, "Be careful." She smiled; Al returned the smile and nodded before rushing back to his tent.

Once there, he grabbed a bag and started to put essentials in it. Three canteens full of water, a loaf of bread, and an apple. He didn't really care about food then, in fact, he didn't care about anything, besides the fact that some bastard had kidnapped his brother with cold-blooded intentions, and he was going to get Ed back at his side no matter how high the risks were.

----

"Get up, Kin!" A voice awoke the golden-eyed teenager from his sleep. He didn't know why, but he kept getting these flashes of a boy with long, dirty-blonde hair that he wore in a neat ponytail. He also didn't know why he felt like he knew this person and that…he loved this person.

"What is it, Brock?" The teen asked, his short, golden-blonde hair rustling slightly from the gentle breeze.

"Kin, we have a problem, the State's sending some damned State Alchemist out here to kill our people." Brock explained. 'Kin' looked at his leader.

"When will this 'Alchemist' be arriving?" Kin asked.

"I'm guessing around dusk. I'm sending you out to stop him. Remember, kill him at all costs; State Alchemists destroy our people." Brock said, leaving Kin to contemplate about this new information. Suddenly, that mysterious kid flashed before Kin's eyes again. He tried to shake the image from his mind, but to no avail. He didn't know if this was a vague memory, or just a daydream, but it was seriously freaking him out.

Dusk was approaching, so Kin left the rebel base and wandered a ways into the desert. Once there, he sat on a rock, as yet another image flashed before his eyes. He shook his head, ridding himself of the image for a while before it flashed before his eyes again. This time, it seemed like a memory….

----

_'Look what Niisan made! Isn't it awesome?" A younger version of the kid asked an older woman, apparently his mother, "I can still only do this one."_

_"Well, I think they're both gorgeous!" The woman smiled, taking Kin's object, "You two really are his kids, no doubt about it."_

_"Do you think Dad will like it?" The kid asked._

_There was a pause in the woman's speaking before she finally snapped out of her trance-like state, "Yes. Once he comes home he'll tell you so."_

_"'Kay." The kid smiled. Kin grabbed the object from the woman's hands and ran off._

_"I'm going to Winry's!" Kin called over his shoulder._

_----_

Kin returned to the world and blinked. Was that a memory? Was he related to that kid? Was that woman his mother? Why was he being haunted by these visions? It made his head hurt. And why…why did he have this silver watch on his pocket? He had tried to remove it, but something stopped him. He felt like something was important about the watch. So, out of curiosity, he had pried it open.

_'Don't Forget Oct. 3.' _Was carved on the inside of the watch. He didn't know what it meant, but he knew it was important and this watch meant something to him. Sadly, it hurt his head to think about these bits and pieces that flashed before his eyes. Not once did he ask Brock why he had strange images flash before his eyes, nor did he ever intend to. Brock wasn't very understanding. Hell, Brock treated him like dirt. There was something though…subconsciously, Kin knew his name was not 'Kin', he didn't know why he thought that, but a feeling in his gut told him 'Kin' was not his name.

----

"_Alphonse, you're hurting me!" Kin whimpered._

"_Don't act like you're hurt because I'm scolding you!" The boy scowled._

_"Your nails!" Kin said breathlessly. The boy loosened his grip slightly._

_"I hate arguing with you, why can't you just understand!" The boy asked, tears welling in his soft, silver eyes._

_"Understand what?" Kin shot back._

_"That I love you!" The boy replied. Silence._

Kin didn't know what that was. But it was something and out of all of the flashes he had experienced, he favored that one the most, but he didn't know why.

_"Alphonse…you need to be more careful when you're talking about…you know…" Kin's voice trailed off._

_"I don't care!" Al replied instantly, "I don't care what anybody thinks, I don't care if this is wrong. I don't care what happens to me because of it, all I care about is you not getting hurt!" Al scolded, his voice softening, "Because I love you, Edward."_

_----_

Alphonse. That was that boy's name. Kin didn't know if 'Edward' was his real name or not, but it did prove that his name was not 'Kin'. Maybe he had something wrong with his mind, or he was just hallucinating from his throbbing head. He touched his forehead, there were bandages around it. Brock had told him the reason he couldn't remember anything was because he had hit his head very hard on the ground. Brock had also told him that his name was 'Kin' and that he had been a rebel all of his life and that his parents had died in the Ishbalan Massacre.

Lies.

Was Brock just feeding him lies? He did not know who he was or who this 'Alphonse' was. But he _did _know that Brock was hiding something from him. And he knew it well. Then, something occurred to him. Were State Alchemists really that bad? Or was Brock just feeding him another lie? Either way, he wanted to know all of these things and he wanted to know them now!

----

Hikari: The more reviews, the faster I update! Thank you for reading...oh...I really want somebody to give me and Ed plushie instead of internet cookies...so if you give me a plushie instead of a cookie in the review, I'll give a sneak peak of the next chapter before it is realeased...hehehe...


	14. Omoide

Hikari: Shimatta (Damnit in Japanese)! This was so hard to write, but it's worth it if I get a lot of reviews, no this is NOT the final chapter, so don't freak out on me, jeez... 

'Omoide' means 'Memory'

* * *

**Chapter 14: ****Omoide**

Alphonse's mind was fixed completely on his brother's safety. What did these rebels want with him? Why did they take his precious brother away from him? And why didn't they send a ransom? Was Ed okay? Questions like that ate away and Alphonse's insides as he continued the long walk to the rebel base. He had told Roy that he was going to bring back his brother safely, and that's exactly what he was going to do.

When the base came into view, Al smiled. He knew it was dangerous. But he didn't care. All he wanted was to see his brother's smiling face again. He quickly broke into a run, ready to fight anybody that got in his way.

* * *

Kin shielded his eyes from the blinding sun as he gazed at the horizon, his gaze finally settling on a silhouetted figure running toward him. This must be that State Alchemist he was supposed to kill. He shook his head. He wasn't going to kill an innocent person because Brock had said so. For all he knew, this person could be a kid, and he wasn't going to take away a kid's life because of a pointless war.

As the silhouette got closer, Kin readied himself for a battle, but only if the Alchemist started the fight first. He wasn't planning on hurting this innocent person because of an order given by a pompous windbag.

* * *

The sun was beating down on his head as he closed in on the rebel camp. A smile spread across his features. He'd see his brother soon.

'_Now!'_ Kin thought, jumping out of the shadows, pulling out a dagger, which glinted in the sun, catching Alphonse's attention. He screamed in agony as a searing pain surged through his right shoulder, his left hand quickly clutching his freshly made wound, wincing as his fingers touched the gash, silver eyes darting around, looking for his assailant.

"Who are you?" The figure asked, keeping his eyes fixed on the ground. The blinding sunlight made it hard to see, the silhouette looked up at him. His breath stopped. His attacker had golden eyes, "Damn it, I said 'who are you'?"

"Edward, it's me! Alphonse!" Al called to his assailant, taking a step closer to the smaller teen, "Don't you remember me?"

"Do I…know you?" Ed stammered, stepping back, looking genuinely confused.

"Stop playing, Ed!" Al scolded, taking a step closer to his trembling brother.

"Get away from me!" Ed shot at Alphonse as he stepped back, shakily pointing his small blade in Al's direction before shakily stating, "I'll kill you!" He warned.

"Calm down, Ed. It's okay, I'm here now." Al soothed, stepping closer to his brother, his fingers gently touching his golden brother's cheek as he took a final step closer, wrapping his arms around Ed's neck, looking down into his brother's beautiful golden eyes, a soft smile on his face, "You're okay."

Some of the tension melted off of Edward's face as he calmed down in his brother's embrace, he rested his head against his brother's chest, finding his brother's heartbeat soothing. As he held his big brother close to his chest, he stroked his now shortened hair, contemplating over his brother's strange behavior.

"Who…are you?" Ed asked. Al pulled him away from his chest so he was looking into his brother's eyes.

"You…honestly don't remember?" Alphonse asked. Ed shook his head, closing his eyes as his muscles visibly tensed, bracing himself for an impact that wasn't going to come, tears leaking from the corners of his eyes, "God..." Al breathed, his hand shakily cupping Ed's cheek, wiping away the tears, "What did they do to you, Ed?" Alphonse wrapped his arms around his brother and pulled him closer, chin resting atop his brother's head as he cradled him gently.

"I--" Ed started, "I've been having these…flashes…you're in them. I thought they were just dreams…"

"What…" Al paused, "What exactly happen in these flashes?"

"…The first one that played out like a memory…was…of a lady with long, brown hair out in a country village." Ed explained, trying so hard to remember the flash, but it made his head throb with excruciating pain.

"Mom." Al stated, "How many of these did you have, Ed?"

"Three." Ed replied, tensing again, thinking it was bad for him to have these flashes. Al hugged him tighter, startling him slightly.

"It's okay." He soothed, smoothing his brother's soft hair, "What happened in the others?" Al asked.

"In the next one…we were arguing…" Ed said, trying to get the rest of the flash from the back of his mind, "Then…you said you loved me…and then…silence."

"What happened in the last one?" Al asked, hoping that it wasn't a bad memory.

"We argued again. This time in a tent, then…you called me 'Edward' and it was over." Ed explained, "Was that…good?"

"Yes!" Al smiled, pulling his loved one closer, holding him against his chest, trying his best to calm him down. Then, all of the emotion Ed had looked up inside rushed out in a wave of sobs, Al smoothed his hair and kissed his forehead.

"Why can't I remember you if you're so important to me!" Ed choked between sobs, looking up into Al's kind, silver eyes.

"You have a bandage around your head…I bet you got injured there and lost your memory. It must've been some impact." Al explained, "But you don't have to worry anymore, I'll help you get your memory back, Ed. I promise."

Edward allowed himself to go limp in Alphonse's warm embrace. Al brushed his lips against the bandage wrapped around Ed's forehead, subconsciously rubbing his brother's back, trying to raise his broken spirit.

"Kin! Get your ass over here!" A voice shouted, Ed looked up, his golden eyes suddenly filled with fear. Al was about to ask what was wrong when Ed started squirming in his grasp; Alphonse tightened his grip, preventing his brother's escape.

"It's okay!" Al said, holding Ed close to his chest, trying to put a cease to his wild thrashing, "I won't let that bastard near you, Edward." Alphonse murmured, soothing the trembling teenager.

"But--" Ed started to argue, but Al pressed his index finger to his lips, stopping his speech.

"I won't let him hurt you." Al coaxed his silver eyes full of love as he held his brother in his hold.

"Kin!" The voice called again, Edward tensed visibly.

"Lemme go!" Ed whimpered, struggling, "Please! I don't want you to get hurt!"

"Damn it, Kin, if you don't get your little ass over here right now, I swear I'll put an end to your miserable life!" The voice growled. It was getting closer. Ed struggled in Al's hold, trying to free himself.

"If you don't get out of here right now, he'll kill you!" Ed protested, finally getting out of Alphonse's tight grasp, panting, "Please! Go!" Ed said; his voice full of urgency.

"No! I'm never letting you out of my sight again, Edward!" Al said in disagreement, trying hard to not scream 'I love you' at his stubborn sibling.

"Please, just go!" Ed said, he looked off in the base's direction, he saw a dot on the horizon. He bit his lip, golden eyes soon fixed on his brother's form.

"I won't leave you here!" Alphonse stated. In a split-second, Ed ran over to his brother, placed his hands on either side of Al's head, jumped up and pressed his lips against his in a fierce kiss in a fraction of a second. When he separated his lips from Al's, he smiled, tears trickling down his face.

"I love you, Alphonse!" Edward said, "Now get out of here!"

"But--" Al started to argue, Ed looked at him with a familiar determined gaze, silencing him in an instant.

"I'm your big brother, and what I say goes!" Ed shot at him, "Get out of here Alphonse!" There was a gun shot, "NOW!" Ed shouted. Alphonse started to run.

"Just promise me you'll be here when I come back!" Al called over his shoulder. Ed smirked that in that familiar way.

"I promise!" Ed shouted at him, running toward the rebel base.

* * *

Alphonse stopped, dropping to his knees in the dense sand, tears that had built up in his reunion with his brother finally coming out in big droplets as he hit his fist on the soft ground, sobs so hard they rocked his entire being.

"He remembered." Al choked out, "I didn't tell him he was my big brother! God, I can't believe I left him there!" Al scolded himself.

* * *

A shriek of pain escaped Edward's body as he was punched in the gut, dropping to the stone ground, holding back tears. He glared at his attacker in pure hatred.

"Did you see the damn alchemist?" Brock growled. Edward's gaze hardened.

"No!" Ed growled in the back of his throat. He was nailed in the side, hard.

"Liar!" Brock said through gritted teeth, "Now I'll ask you one more time, did you see him?"

"No!" Edward responded venomously, his golden gaze full of extreme detestation for the man before him. Brock stomped hard on Ed's back, pinning him to the ground, digging his combat boot into the teenager's back. Edward screamed in agony, unsatisfied, Brock pulled out a dagger and sliced into Ed's left shoulder, making a deep gash, causing blood to ooze out in massive quantities. Ed winced in pain.

"I'll be back and you better tell the truth!" Brock spat, leaving the room, Ed sat up and clutched his wounded shoulder.

* * *

Hours passed and Brock walked back in. He looked down at the teen before him.

"Where did you see that alchemist?" Brock demanded. Ed remained silent, his eyes burning with the fire of dislike. Brock growled and kicked Ed in the gut, sending the blonde flying across the room, his back hitting the wall. Ed just glared at him in pure hatred, "Damn it, Kin, where did you see that damned alchemist?"

"My name is not 'Kin'!" Ed spat at the Ishbalan. Brock tensed, he walked over and cut a gash into Ed's side, causing him to scream in pain.

"So you remember your name, eh? Well, you're of no further use then!" Brock grinned.

"That's not all I remember! I remember I'm the 'Fullmetal Alchemist' if you hate alchemists so much, why am I here in the first place?" Ed growled, "If I remember correctly, you wanted to kill me because I killed your cousin, and the only Ishbalan I know that's dead is Scar, and let me tell you something, you bastard, I didn't kill your cousin! I wasn't even there!" Ed snarled, his eyes darkened.

"It doesn't matter whether or not you killed my cousin! I was just using that as an excuse, kid!" Brock grinned, "Hell, I could care less about my deceased family! All I care about is breaking you down!"

"I don't understand!" Ed replied.

"I hate you, kid. You have a brother. My brother was killed in a war that your military started, and I've been searching for somebody that was his age in the military, but I couldn't find any. When I found you, I did some research if you had any siblings, sure enough, you have a little brother!" Brock smirked evilly, "Equivalent Exchange. Your damned military took the life of my brother, so I'm going to take yours!"

"There is no Equivalent Exchange! That damn principal doesn't exist!" Ed scowled. Brock chuckled, confusing Ed.

"So you know? Good, then you don't have to die knowing you died because of a principal that doesn't exist. I'm killing you for sweet revenge!" Brock grinned, tossing his weapon aside, reaching into his pocket, pulling out a small flask that held a dark liquid. Ed immediately knew what it was. Poison. A very rare one at that.

"Where the hell did you get that?" Ed demanded.

"I have my ways of getting things I want, shrimp!" Brock smiled a freakish smile that sent chills down Ed's spine, "Now, time for you to die, Fullmetal!" Brock pulled out a cloth, poured some of the toxic liquid onto it, and held it over Ed's nose and mouth. Edward thrashed wildly, but Brock held it there, forcing him to take in the lethal concoction. Within seconds, Ed's golden eyes closed and he fell limp. Brock smirked and pulled the rag off of Ed's face and released his hold on him, letting him fall to the ground with a soft thump. He left the room. Moments passed and his footsteps were no longer heard.

"Niisan!" Al screamed, looking into the room from a vent, tears falling from his silver eyes, "Wake up, Ed! Don't be dead! Please, don't be dead!" Al begged, breaking the vent, falling out of the small passageway, landing on the ground, running over to his brother's seemingly lifeless form, clutching it to his chest as tears drizzled down his face, "I love you."

* * *

Hikari: The more reviews, the faster I update, oh, I want Edo and Aru plushies! Sorry, I just had to fix the last paragraph, originally Al said 'Brother' instead of 'Niisan' and it was bothering me since 'Niisan' is much cuter than 'Brother'!


	15. Chapter 15

Hikari: Six days. A new record. Six days...jeez...that seems like so long just to write this, after long consideration and a little help from PrincessIxi, I was able to come up with a name for this chapter. Oh, and PrincessIxi drew a picture that goes very well with this chapter as well as 'Kin'. No, I do not know PrincessIxi personally, (but it would be awesome if I did), otherwise I would thank her properly.

Anyway, 'Musebinaku Sono Togiretogire' means 'Tears of the Broken'

Note: THIS IS NOT THE LAST CHAPTER! -hugs Edo and Aru plushies-

**

* * *

Chapter 15: Musebinaku Sono Togiretogire (Tears of the Broken) **

Salty tears splattered on his skin, shaking the teenager from his state. His throat burned. It felt like his throat was in a blaze and it hurt him to swallow. The agony was unbearable and his head was throbbing. Surges of pain rushed through his body every few seconds. Yet, he couldn't find it in him to talk.

"Don't be dead, please, don't be dead." A distant, yet familiar voice was saying between heart-shattering sobs. That explained where the tears were coming from. Ed tried to talk, he really did, but he was too weak and his throat burned too much for him to even attempt to make any sound. His muscles and joints ached, so it was hard for him to move, "Please…I love you." The voice murmured again, warm arms tightening themselves around his small, limp form.

In response, Edward curled closer to the warmth, trying to make the pain go away. He felt the body that was pressed against his relax, then he found himself cradled up against a warm, shaky torso.

"You're okay…." The voice said through sobs, smoothing his short hair, "I'm here."

"Ah…Al…?" He managed to ask, a bit taken back by how raspy his voice sounded, but he pushed it aside, trying to get his brother's attention again, "Al?"

"What is it?" Al murmured into his hair.

"…Burns…" Edward managed to say before bursting into a coughing fit. He was sick and he knew it well. Alphonse held him closely against his chest, so close; Edward could feel his fast beating heart beneath layers of tissue and skin.

"It's okay. You'll be okay." Al soothed, scooping Ed into his arms, "Now let's get you out of here, Niisan." Al stated, placing Edward down in a corner, pushing a desk over to the air vent, walking over and picking Ed up again, climbing on top of the desk and gently shoving his brother's weak form into the small passageway, crawling in after him.

* * *

It was very cramped in the vent, but it was all worth it if he could save his precious brother from the torture he was going through. Finally, they made it outside of the base. Edward started coughing again, this time very violently. Al pulled him against his chest and started to pacify the quaking form in his arms. Frantic, Alphonse picked Ed up and started to make a run toward the base. It was all he could do if he wanted to get Ed to safety, no matter what the risks.

Ed burst out coughing again, when he was done he groaned and wrapped his arms around his stomach, whimpering.

"Niisan?" Al asked, feeling stupid for not knowing the poison his brother had inhaled or how deadly the side effects were, "Are you okay?" Ed moaned and curled into a ball, "Niisan?"

"Water…" Ed begged; his golden eyes full of pain; it pierced through Alphonse's being.

"Water?" Al repeated a small, hollow smile appearing on his face as he reached into his backpack, pulling out a canteen, opening it and putting it to his brother's dry lips, tipping Edward's head back slightly to help him swallow the cool, refreshing liquid. Ed smiled slightly before cuddling up against Al's chest, "Better?" Alphonse asked.

"Yeah…" Ed whispered ;his golden eyes closing as he stayed in his current position, Alphonse pressed his lips against Edward's forehead before picking him up, starting to leave when he heard a gunshot, he immediately whirled around and saw the rebels, armed, their eyes fixed on him.

"Shit…" Al murmured, holding Ed closer.

"Give us the runt back and nobody gets hurt!" The head rebel called. Ed's eyes opened in an instant. Despite the fact that he was poisoned and incredibly weak, he found the energy deep inside of him and squirmed out of Alphonse's arms, running toward the rebels, Al panicked, running after the hyperactive blonde.

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU CALLIN' SO SMALL THAT HE'D FIT IN--!" Ed's hysterical shouting was cut short as he was tackled from behind, causing him to get a mouthful of sand, he squirmed under Alphonse's weight, but due to his small stature he made no progress.  
"Calm down, Niisan, or you'll get yourself killed!" Al scolded Ed in a hushed voice, his breath tickling Ed's ear as he spoke. Ed squirmed until Al got off of him, but he soon found himself enveloped in Al's strong arms seconds later.

"Hey, let go!" Ed protested, trying to pry himself from Al's tight grasp. Another gunshot was heard; Alphonse examined his brother, making sure that his brother was untouched by a bullet. After confirming that Ed was okay, Al stood up, Ed wriggled free of Al's hold, ready to attack the rebels, but Al grabbed his wrist and pulled him as he ran.

"C'mon, we have to get away from them!" Al called over his shoulder to his straining brother.

"God…Al…you're killing me…" Ed panted, Al felt Ed become limp, he immediately stopped and caught his brother, gathering him up in his arms before dashing off again, clutching Ed to his chest, using his body as a shield.

* * *

Bang. The gunshots echoed in Al's ears, he knew he wasn't injured, otherwise he would've felt it, but every time he heard a bullet, he'd glance at Ed, trying to see if the bullet had not penetrated his soft, yet scarred skin. Luckily, there was no sign of injury except for the ones that bastard Ishbalan had given to him. A bomb went off, sending a cloud of sand into the air. It was impossible to see, Alphonse coughed as some of the sand went down his throat, wincing, as he felt some grains of sand land in his eyes.

"Get away from them!" The voice belonged to Riza, there was a loud bang, probably her hand gun that she carried around at all times. The sand cleared and Alphonse saw the military troops and Riza, Armstrong, Havoc, Fuery, Falman, and Breda in the front. A smile spread across his features. Roy was probably back at the base, giving out orders to his remaining soldiers.

The military rushed into battle, colliding with the opposite sides, gunshots were heard every few seconds; Alphonse rushed over to the State's side of the battlefield. He stopped by Havoc and Falman.

"Guys, you have to help me get Niisan back to the base, he's been poisoned!" Al said frantically. Havoc nodded and led Alphonse to a car, Falman walking behind them, making sure the rebels didn't try to attack the teenagers.

"Get in, Soul." Havoc stated, Alphonse obeyed and climbed into the back, holding his brother in his grasp the entire time. Havoc didn't question why he was holding Ed so dearly, for he knew how much Ed meant to Al. He didn't know the depths of their relationship like Riza, but he knew it was way past brotherly-love.

As soon as the car started, a gunshot was heard and the car died. Havoc slammed his fist against the wheel, cussing under his breath. Al looked up at the man in confusion.

"What happened?" Alphonse asked timidly, clutching Ed tighter.

"Damn bastards blasted a bullet through the engine!" Havoc growled, "Get out and run, Alphonse!" Havoc ordered, Alphonse nodded and quickly got out of the car, holding his brother close as he ran, trying to find some sort of haven in the midst of the bloody battle.

An explosion caused Alphonse to trip and roll. He clutched Ed close to his chest, protecting his beloved brother with every speck of life in his body. Edward opened his eyes, looking up at Alphonse in confusion. When Al made eye contact with his golden brother, he noticed the uncertainty that dwelled in his beautiful golden orbs.

"Edward?" Al asked, Ed clutched his head and groaned, squeezing his eyes shut as he moaned in pain, "Edward!"

"Who the hell is…Edward?" Ed asked, Alphonse's heart skipped a few beats. No, Ed couldn't have forgotten again! Not now! This tore at Al's heartstrings. His brother's memory was wiped clean again, "Ugh! Make it stop!"

"Make what stop, Niisan?" Al asked, his silver eyes fixed on his brother's form.

"Hell, make this pain go away!" Ed whimpered, clutching his head, his fingernails digging into his scalp, "Agh!" Ed moaned, feeling half dead.

"Niisan!" Al shouted, shaking Ed gently, as if treating him a little more roughly would bring his memory back, "Edward!"

Edward was silent after that, the life that lit his golden eyes so brightly seemed to dim, making Edward look like a brain dead zombie. Alphonse watched in horror as his brother's face began to pale, the life seemed to seep out of his body. Ed looked at him, his once intense golden gaze now a faint outline of what it had once been. Al immediately understood. He was broken. That bastard had messed with Edward's head so much it was hard for Ed to maintain his memory for an extended period of time, which resulted in this brain dead state. His brother's spirit was broken and he knew it well.

"Edward?" Al asked, his voice only a hushed whisper, trying to hide the sadness that his voice was portraying. Edward looked at him in deep confusion, Alphonse couldn't take it anymore. Seeing Ed so lifeless was…was the worst thing he had ever endured in his short life.

Then, something occurred to him, maybe Ed hadn't really gotten his memory back in the first place, remembering about being his big brother and being the Fullmetal Alchemist could've been a flash! Alphonse sighed in slight relief, even though he was still upset that Ed had forgotten his name again. Edward looked up at him with his emotionless gaze, Alphonse's world shattered. Ed easily wriggled free of Al's loosened grip, standing up, his eyes still fixed on his form.

"I don't know who you are, or why you were holding me like that. But…something about you…is familiar." Ed stated; his voice was flat and emotionless. Alphonse felt broken. Edward was never emotionless. Never ever. Not his Ed, not the cocky Fullmetal Alchemist!

"Edward…" Al murmured, tears burning in his silver eyes, waiting to be released from their prison.

"Is…is that my name?" Ed asked, still emotionless, even though his face portrayed confusion, his voice was extremely monotone, suddenly, a searing pain exploded in his skull. Edward clutched his head, his fingernails digging into his scalp while his automail was hot from the desert's boiling heat, but that didn't matter, he just wanted the pain to go away.

* * *

_"Niisan!" A small boy screamed as a fox bite into Ed's shoulder. Edward cried out in pain and as soon as the fox's teeth pulled out of his skin, he clutched his newly made wound, wincing in pain as he fell back into a bush. The young boy rushed over to his side, "That bite looks really bad!" _

_"Stupid fox!" Ed growled, jumping up, running after the beast that had bestowed this wound upon his right arm.

* * *

_

Ed blinked; his eyes still had only the ghost of passion and enthusiasm they once held. The short-haired blonde looked at the dirty-blonde boy in front of him and immediately recognized him as the older version of that child he had seen in his head. Suddenly, another excruciating throb pounded deep inside his head.

* * *

_'It's strange. You're been beside me all of this time…but I can't remember what you feel like or how you smell." A hollow suit of armor said softly, a hint of sorrow laced his words.

* * *

_

The voice of that armor was incredibly similar to that of the boy that sat in front of him with tears trickling down his cheeks as he looked at him. Edward kneeled down to get eye level with the adolescent.

"I think…I think I know who you are…" Ed said, his eyes still holding that phantom look.

* * *

_"Did I do anything to make you hate me?" Ed asked, sounding hurt._

_"No! I'd never hate you! Never ever! You're the most important person in my world, Niisan!" The boy instantly replied._

_"Then why the hell won't you let me near you?" Ed asked, his voice demanding. _

_"Because, I'm impure!" The teen screamed; Ed stopped in his tracks and so did the teenager._

_"W-What are you talking about?" Ed asked in absolute perplexity._

_"I'm-it's just…you-I...!" The silver-eyed boy stammered, struggling for the right words._

_"Al, breathe." Ed said softly, pulling him into a hug, "Its okay. Calm down." Ed coaxed. The reassuring embrace seemed to quiet the younger Elric down just enough, "I'm here. I'm here, Al." _

_"You'll…h-hate m-me…" Al choked out, tears blurring his vision._

_"I could never hate you, Al. No matter what crazy thing you do." Ed assured him, his voice soft and understanding.

* * *

_

Edward looked into the boy's silver eyes, he knew this boy was important and extraordinarily close to him. But how could that be if he was his brother? All of those flashes were all focused on one thing. This boy. Alphonse, that's his name.

"Is your name…Alphonse?" Ed asked unenthusiastically, a smile spread across the teenager's face and Ed soon found himself pulled up against the boy's chest, warm arms enfolded around his body.

"Yes…yes, it is…" Al murmured into his brother's golden hair, inhaling Edward's scent deeply, "I'm here now, you're okay."

* * *

The sun was beating down on their heads heavily, but they didn't care. Actually, Ed did not seem to care about anything other than Alphonse. He didn't know why, but it felt like he could feel things again, emotionally that is, when Alphonse held him like this. Alphonse was still disappointed though, given that Edward still had that monotonous radiance in his eyes that didn't describe his brother at all. It was like his soul had just shattered the life had been sucked out of Edward's body.

"I love you." Al whispered, stroking Ed's back, "You know that, right?"

"I love you, too." Ed replied, even though the tone of his voice did not show it, Alphonse knew he meant it. But it pained him to see Edward so dull and lifeless before, nor did he ever want to go through this experience again, he just wanted it all to end. Edward's eyes portrayed no signs of the energetic, passionate personality he possessed. The life that lit his eyes so brightly with passion it made Alphonse think is brother was brighter than the sun.

* * *

The battle had been practically suicidal, but it was done and they had one. The military soldiers all walked back to the base with triumph written all over their faces. Riza, Havoc, Breda, Falman, and Fuery all reported to Fuhrer Mustang as soon as they arrived at the base.

"Well, did we win?" Roy asked bluntly, trying to get this over with as fast he possibly could.

"Yes, sir." The group said in unison. Roy nodded and dismissed everyone except his wife because of the look in her mahogany eyes.

"What's wrong, Riza?" Roy asked, Riza looked at her husband in false puzzlement.

"Nothing's wrong, why do you ask?" Riza replied a little to quickly, rising her husband's suspicion.

"C'mon, Riza, I know you better than that, Sweetie." Roy smiled slightly, "What's bothering you?"

"It's Edward and Alphonse." Riza murmured, Roy took on a more serious look.

"What about them?" Roy inquired, wondering what could be so bad that it had Riza upset.

"Edward…is…" Riza started, but her voice trailed off. Roy took her hands in his and looked into her eyes.

"What is it?"

"Edward is acting incredibly strange. It's like he doesn't remember anything except Alphonse." Riza explained, pausing to take in a deep breath which she let out in a deep sigh, "Havoc told me that Ed didn't look to well, like something was wrong."

"Like he has amnesia or something along the lines of that?" Roy asked. Riza shook her head.

"No, like, like had no energy left in his body at all." Riza said, enlightening Roy as best as she could, for she didn't know all of the facts herself.

"Shit…those bastard rebels must've messed with his head…" Roy growled, "Damn them…they can't break Fullmetal like that, nobody can."

"Roy, don't forget…he's not invincible…and he's only a child." Riza stated; her eyes as sharp as a hawk's as she looked at her husband, "And anybody can be broken…"

* * *

Edward pulled away from Alphonse, squirmed free of his loose hold and walked a few feet away, digging his feet into the ground slightly. His once bright golden gaze was fixed on the sand beneath the soles of his shoes. Alphonse stood up and cautiously walked over to his brother and placed a hand on his shoulder, Edward instantly tensed and Alphonse was immediately filled with perplexity.

"What is it, Niisan?" Al inquired, trying to figure out what was wrong with his brother.

"You know…my life is pretty funny…" Ed murmured, his voice unwavering from its emotionless state, "Even though I cannot feel any emotion…I can still shed tears…" Ed chuckled softly, his laughter hollow, it sent chills down Al's spine, he wasn't used to hearing Ed laugh like that. Alphonse's brow furrowed as he contemplated the golden adolescent's words. What? How could you shed tears and not feel an emotion? Alphonse's hand tightened on Ed's shoulder slightly as he gently turned Ed's body so he could see his face. His eyes widened at the sight. Edward's face was expressionless, he stood there as rigid as a board, yet tears of sorrow were rolling down his cheeks, splattering into smaller droplets as they came in contact with his shoes and snad.

_'Tears of the Broken…' _Alphonse thought to himself, _'Tears of the Broken Soul.'

* * *

_

Hikari: Like I said, long time to write this chapter, got help from my extremely awesome fan, PrincessIxi, and finally updated my beloved fanfiction. In case you didn't read the beginning comments, **this is NOT the last chapter of my fanfiction!** Please review so I can have some more devotion! 


	16. Chapter 16

Hikari: Finally, I have the next chapter up and ready for all of you loving and adoring fans. No this is NOT the last chapter, and I'm still thinking making it plently longer for all you down-to-earth Hikari lovers out there, please don't tell me you all worship my every word, yeah, the story counts... -.-;

'Tsukuroi ato Togiretogire Konpaku' means 'Mending a Broken Soul'

**

* * *

Chapter 16: ****Tsukuroi ato Togiretogire Konpaku**

Edward looked over at Alphonse, his golden eyes still only a faint outline of the life they had once held. Noticing the sorrowful look on his younger sibling's features, he asked the hollow question in that freakish monotone that had recently laced his voice, "Are you okay, Alphonse?"

Alphonse snapped out of his trance-like state, silver orbs looking into his brother's once vibrantly illuminated golden. He tried to hold back the burning tears, he really did, but he couldn't contain it anymore. The salty droplets just leaked out, "No!" Al burst out, unable to contain it inside any longer, "That bastard Ishbalan took your spirit and broke it! Now look at you! Your once sharp, beautiful golden eyes hold only the faint shadow of the sun they once portrayed, you're voice is emotionless and monotone and to make it worse--." Alphonse paused, caressing his brother's cheek, taking care with his touches, "You didn't have a choice!" Al breathed. Edward soon found himself enfolded in Al's reassuring arms once again.

_'God, I need to make this right again…I should've followed you…I should've been there for you, Niisan. Now look at you. You are a broken soul and it's all my fault! I'm such a terrible little brother! To make it worse, Ed, I'm your lover as well…I should've been there, but I wasn't and I'm sorry!' _Alphonse thought, the weight of the burden on his shoulders getting heavier and heavier as he thought about the problem that had unraveled into their lives, _'I promise you, Edward, I'll make this right again!' _

"Alphonse?" Ed asked, his voice hollow, no concerned tone coating his words this time, but Al knew, Alphonse knew that deep inside, Edward's soul was concerned, trying so hard to explode from its prison and let life fill Edward's golden gaze once again, allow Edward to be the cocky adolescent he really is!

"I'll fix everything, Niisan…I promise…I'll clean up this mess, this stupid accident!" Alphonse stated, while his silver eyes full of determination that was fueled by Al's undying love for his brother.

"It's…not your burden to carry, Al." Ed stated flatly, Al hated to listen to that crap, Ed without emotion was seemingly impossible, but that bastard Ishballan had to take Edward's soul and destroy it along with his memory, leaving Ed so emotionless and broken! Oh, how Alphonse wanted to kill that Ishballan for doing this to his precious brother! Deciding that he'd get his vengeance on that jerk later, Alphonse released his brother from his grip, his hand locking together with Ed's, intertwining their fingers as they walked back to the Central Military Base.

* * *

Finally, the base came into view, they were both tired, Alphonse knew this, but what really mattered is that he was going to get his brother the care he needed, so he absolutely refused to stop until Ed was safely secured in the midst of the military. Edward looked at the military base, quickly looking at Alphonse in confusion; he didn't know what he was supposed to do. Al nibbled on his lower lip softly, what if the soldiers questioned Edward's awkward state? What if they took Ed away from him! He was paranoid, and he knew that well.

The two brothers arrived at the military base in no time and Al immediately reported to Roy and Riza's tent.

"Fuhrer!" Al called as he walked into to the tent. Roy and Riza looked at him in confusion, but when their eyes settled on Edward, they smiled, "Help him! The rebels…they poisoned him!"

"What!" Roy growled, "Those bastards! Riza, get the paramedics in here A.S.A.P! Soul! Put your brother on my cot while we wait!" Al wasted no time obeying Roy's orders; he walked over to the corner of the tent and laid Ed on the cot.

"What's going on?" Ed asked weakly, it was easy to tell his energy was being drained; the poison was taking its toll on Edward slowly, and it pained Alphonse with each passing second. Al forced a smile before he responded.

"You were poisoned by the rebels that kidnapped you, so I brought you back to the military base and you're going to be treated by our best doctors, okay? Don't worry, Niisan, I won't leave your side until you're better, okay?" Al smiled, Ed nodded and his body relaxed, Al brushed a few stray strands of golden bangs out of Edward's eyes and planted a soft kiss on his forehead, "You're strong, you'll make it through this, Edward, I know you will."

"Get out of the way, Alphonse!" Riza said, as her hands clamped down on Al's shoulders, pulling him back, "Let's get you out of here." She said, starting to usher the young alchemist out of the tent. Al panicked, there was no way he was leaving Edward here all by himself, not in his critical condition.

"No! Ed's not just my brother and you know that, Riza!" Al cried out, struggling free of Riza's hold, running back over to Ed's bedside, watching as the paramedics started to check Ed's pulse and temperature.

"Shit!" One of the doctors cussed under his breath, Al was probably the only one who heard it, "Where the hell did they get a poison that _rare_!"

"Is…is my brother going to make it, Sir?" Al inquired, silver eyes filled with concern.

"His immune system is putting up a good fight, so I think that he'll recover in no time, it's just that, this poison, if his body would have absorbed anymore of this shit, he would be on a one way road to death, but luckily, the sick bastard who did this did not succeed. But by the amount that we found in his body, his kidnapper was definitely trying to kill off our teen prodigy." The doctor explained, "But never mind that, the important thing is that Ed is going to be okay, but we should get him to a better care facility, the equipment that is back in Central would help him recover a lot faster." Unknown to Alphonse, Roy had heard every word.

"Then we have to get him on a train." Mustang stated, Al jumped, startled by the sudden outburst, he looked over his shoulder.

"Mustang?" Al asked, blinking, "But you were supposed to be out taking care of your men, Sir." Al said, turning his gaze back to his ill brother.

"Fullmetal is one of my men, Soul." Roy explained, walking over to Alphonse's side, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder before finishing his rationalization for staying in the tent instead of giving orders, "He is also a good friend of mine, Al. And I refuse to lose another one of my friends to the military, understood?"

It was then that Alphonse finally understood, why Roy had been inflicted the most when Hughes died, he thought it was his fault that Hughes had been murdered by the hands of Envy. He didn't want Edward's death to be his fault as well. Al bit his lip; he knew that it was not Roy's fault that Hughes died, all it was merely just fate unfolding, playing out everything the way it should have been; one tragic twist in life that could not have ever been predicted.

Either way, Al nodded, telling Roy that he, in fact, understood his reasons. Roy managed one of his uncanny smirks and started to walk out of the tent, he stopped when he reached the open flap, "Just tell me if he starts to recover before nightfall, Soul, and he'll stay here under the care of the doctors we have at the base." And with that, Mustang walked out into the blazing heat, ready to give orders to his men.

* * *

Hours passed, and Edward was lying still on the cot, the paramedics had said that he was stabilized and he was just going to sleep for a couple hours. That was a couple hours ago, and Alphonse could feel himself slowly begin to get paranoid again. He was so deep in thought; he didn't even hear the orders that Roy was shouting just feet away from the outside of the tent. All that mattered was taking care of Ed as best he could. A few more minutes passed and Riza walked in, almost silently, Alphonse didn't even take note of her presence, he was completely focused on his brother's form, nothing else mattered anymore, not even the fact that he was completely famished from the long day that he had just had. Riza placed a hand on his shoulder, startling him instantly; he looked over his shoulder, his expression melted from tension to a sense of tranquility when he saw it was Riza.

"You should eat something, Alphonse." Riza said softly, her mahogany eyes trailing over to Ed's still form, watching his chest rise and fall as he slept, telling them that he was still alive, much to Al's comfort.

"I don't want to leave Niisan's side until he wakes up, I don't want him to think I don't care anymore." Al explained, Riza sighed, but considered what he had said, she knew that there was no changing his mind.

"I'll bring you something, okay?" Riza finally replied, Al nodded and she left the tent.

* * *

A few strands of golden hair moved onto Ed's face, Al laughed softly and cautiously and gently brushed them aside, his fingers sliding off of Ed's soft cheek as he reluctantly pulled away his hand. Edward stirred and, if you were quiet enough, you could hear his faint moan, Alphonse's face lit up immediately. This is what he had been waiting for these passed few hours. Slowly, eyes of captured sun were revealed as Ed opened his eyes. He was still groggy from sleeping for so long, but he understood where he was and why.

"Are you feeling okay, Niisan?" Al murmured his question, Ed's eyes instantaneously looked over at Al, locking on his form, the slightest smile crept onto Ed's face and the lightest tinge of pink rushed to the surface of his skin.

"Yeah, thanks for asking, Al." Edward replied softly, his voice only a hair above a whisper.

"You've been out for hours; I was starting to get worried about you, Edward." Alphonse admitted as a radiant and vibrant blush rapidly spread across his features. Al hadn't noticed it at first, but the vague and dull look that had been in Ed's beautiful golden eyes had disappeared and his voice was no longer laced with that dreaded monotone, "Niisan!" Al exclaimed, Ed practically jumped out of bed from the sudden raise in Al's voice.

"What the hell, Al, are you trying to kill me!" Ed demanded, Al smirked and started to laugh, tears collecting in the corners of his eyes as he clutched his gut, Ed was back to himself again, the doctors had successfully treated him of that stupid poison that had begun to take control over Ed's body, although, Al knew that this was merely the beginning of the extensive road to the recovery of Edward's shattered spirit, this was merely the spark of life that he needed to see, "What's so funny!"

"You're back to normal, Edward! You're finally getting better!" Al said through his laughs, Ed gave him a look that said he clearly thought that Al was out of his mind, Al lunged at Ed Ed, wrapping his arms around his neck, pinning him down on the cot, before Ed could respond, Alphonse's lips were pressed against his. When Al pulled away, Ed was blushing madly and panting softly.

"And you're going to kill me from your death kisses one of these days, Al." Ed replied, sitting up. Alphonse sighed and embraced Ed tightly.

"You don't mean that." Al grinned, nuzzling Ed's cheek affectionately.

"I'm dead serious!" Ed retorted, Al kissed his forehead, shutting him up immediately.

"I'm just glad you're okay, Niisan." Al smiled, "You had me worried sick, Ed. Don't ever do that again!"

"Hey, I didn't choose to get kidnapped by those bastards! It was either me, or they were going to hurt you, and there was no way in hell I was going to let any of them even _think_ hurting you in any way, Al!" Ed explained, running a hand through his shortened hair, "Damn it! It's going to take forever to grow this damn stuff out again!" Al rolled his eyes, yep, same old Ed. He crawled off of the cot and regained his composure in his chair, one of his doctors walked in.

"I see you're feeling a little better, Edward." The doctor smiled, he walked over and grabbed Ed's chin, forcing the young alchemist to look in his eyes for further inspection. Alphonse was slightly miffed at that little action, but he got over it, "You look like you're getting better pretty damn quick, too." Ed surprisingly didn't pull away from the doctor's hold, he just sat there, staring into the older man's eyes, but Alphonse could see in his eyes that he wanted the man to get his hand off of his face. Finally, the doctor let go of Ed's face and took a small step backward, a smile on his face.

"You should feel better in a couple of days, but I'm going to have to give you another dose of your antibiotic, Edward." He said, pushing his glasses back slightly.

"Yuck, I hate medicine." Ed groaned, rolling his eyes. The doctor looked at him in perplexity before responding.

"It's not a medicine you swallow, Ed. It's an injection, that's all we could do for you while you were out cold." The doctor explained, Edward's eyes widened and his body tensed, "But it doesn't hurt that much, it's just a little prick."

Then, without any sign of warning, Ed toppled out of bed, and started to scramble out of the tent as fast as he could. Al jumped up from his chair and tackled him.

"Lemme go! I hate needles!" Ed shouted as he writhed under Alphonse's weight, "No! Alphonse! I can't believe you'd do this to me, I'm your brother!" Edward kept complaining, but Al just stood up, holding him tightly in his arms, "You're such a bastard, Al, I mean it!"

"I love you, too, Ed." Alphonse scoffed, "Now c'mon, act your age, Niisan, it's just a little needle."

"I hate you, Al!" Edward whined, his thrashing gradually getting more violent. Alphonse rolled his eyes; he still couldn't believe that his cocky older brother was afraid of a little needle when he got sliced open by blades on occasion.

"You don't mean that, Niisan." Al whimpered, pretending to sound hurt. Ed didn't respond after that, but merely kept struggling in Al's unyielding hold. Al held him down on the cot, thinking would just settle down, but Ed just kept on kicking and squirming, the doctor already had the needle out and everything, Al nodded, silently telling him to hurry up and give his brother a shot already. The doctor understood and gave Ed the injection.

"There, it's done." The doctor smiled, "Now, I've got other injured soldiers to attend to, so, Alphonse, take care of him until I come back later, okay?"

Alphonse nodded and the doctor left the tent. Al looked over at his brother, who was still a little miffed about being held down and forced to get a shot in his upper arm.

"You're not still mad at me, are you Niisan?" Al inquired, his eyes filled with an innocence that made it hard for Ed to feel anything but undying love for him.

"…" Ed looked at him, still contemplating on what to say, the look in Al's eyes was killing him, he placed his hands on either side of Al's head gently and quickly pressed their lips together, telling Al in his own way that he wasn't upset anymore. And Al couldn't ask for a better response.

Unbeknownst to either brother, the rebels were planning their revenge, and they were plotting their next attack when Ed was still recuperating from their last encounter….

* * *

Hikari: Whew...that was a long time. I can't believe I found the time to write something like this with all of these tests/quizes my deranged teachers are assigning me these days. I'm in my final year of middle school and this is how much work I have to do? I'm gonna hate high school. 


	17. Chapter 17

Hikari: Okay...the hectic first quarter is done...and I passed all of my classes! - So, anyway, I finished Chapter 17, it's a rather peaceful chapter, hence the name, so enjoy, no this is NOT the last chapter, so don't freak out, and, without reviews, I won't have any motivation, so please leave your thoughts on a less depression chappie!

'Antai' menas 'Tranquility'

* * *

**Chapter 17: Antai**

The night was silent, Edward and Alphonse were in their own private tent, Roy's orders…well more of a 'friendly' suggestion Riza made to Roy, who immediately agreed. The two were snuggled together in the same bed, keeping each other warm throughout the bitter desert darkness. It was peaceful, something that was foreign to both brother's at this point. Their lives had been so full of anxiety and sorrow, they had witnessed so many lives come to an end, and both of them had come as close as hair away from death themselves.

But they didn't want to think about their past experiences, especially not now, anyway, not when they were warm and content with the amorous atmosphere that they had not been habituated to ever since their mother had passed away all those years ago, when they were still naïve boys. They were happy for this taste of ecstasy that lingered around them at the moment, and they would do anything to keep that peaceful feeling around for a long, long time.

* * *

Al's silver eyes opened slowly, it wasn't that he was not tired; it was just that he could sense the change in atmosphere and wanted to be awake in this rare moment of tranquility. He curled up closer to a sleeping Ed and clutched to the fabric of his brother's black tank top, seemingly shielding his precious golden lover from the shadows of the night.

"…Aru…" Edward murmured in his sleep. Al smiled, his eyes glowing with perpetual love for his sleeping brother. Slowly, he pressed their foreheads together before quickly and gently placing an innocent kiss on Edward's lips.

"I love you, Niisan." Alphonse whispered, caressing Ed's cheek with his right hand delicately, trying not to awaken his beloved brother. Edward moaned in his sleep softly, it wasn't a pained moan, it was a blissful one, and Al had no intention of waking Ed up from his sleep.

Deciding to do something to help pass the time, Alphonse maneuvered his way out of the complex entanglement of their limbs, once free of Ed's loose hold; he struggled to free himself from the thin sheets that constricted his body, holding him firmly in place. He finally freed himself from the sheet and turned his attention back to Edward. Much to Alphonse's dislike, Edward's tank top was riding up his stomach, causing the pale and soft skin to be exposed, his flesh hand resting on top of it, Al rolled his eyes in annoyance, Ed always did this, he gently pulled Edward's hand away from his abdomen and tugged the thin shirt down gently, covering up any skin that had been exposed. Alphonse kissed Edward's slightly feverish forehead and tucked him in, walking over to the closed tent flap, Al opened it slightly, peering out of it to see how peaceful everything else was.

* * *

Much like the inside of his tent, the Central Military base was passive and the soldiers and alchemists were resting in their tents under the starry night sky. Al's gaze couldn't help but trail over to Roy and Riza's tent, there was a faint light on the inside and the silhouetted figures of Roy and Riza stood in the tent. Perplexed at their abnormal behavior, Al crept from his tent and slowly walked over to Roy and Riza's. It wasn't long before Al could here the couple bickering.

"All I'm saying is if they took Edward earlier, they are most likely planning on abducting him again, Roy!" Riza's voice was muffled, but it was clear to Alphonse that she was getting tired of this conversation and she was getting pretty pissed off.

"They won't lay a finger on Fullmetal again on my watch, Riza, just trust me, okay?" Was Roy's muffled response; Alphonse was neutral at this point. He agreed with Riza, because when he took Edward away from those deranged Ishballan rebels, they were not too happy about it and he thought they most likely were going to come and take Ed away from him again. On the other hand, he agree with Roy, except for the fact that it was _him_, not Roy, who was going to make sure that those bastards didn't even touch a hair on Edward's blonde head.

"I know you're determined to protect Fullmetal, but I think you should let Alphonse do that--." Riza began, but she was immediately cut off after her last word.

"Alphonse is not the Fuhrer, Riza! It is not his job to protect the State Alchemists!" Roy retorted. Alphonse began to softly nibble his lower lip.

"But he's Edward's brother! All they have left is each other, so they should be protecting each other; you know how much Fullmetal hates it when you interfere with their business, Roy!" Riza shot at him.

"This isn't about the Elric's, Riza! This is about this damned war!" Roy growled, slamming his fist on something hard. Alphonse jumped; he had never heard Roy yell at Riza before.

"Then you need to do your job as Fuhrer to see that this pointless violence is brought to an end once and for all!" Riza growled in the back of her throat venomously.

"Riza, don't be like this, please--." Roy started, his voice softer and more considerate, he sounded like he would do anything to erase that pointless quarrel that had just occurred between them.

"Save it!" Riza snapped, "You are so arrogant, Roy! I'll be outside if you need me!" And with that, she walked out of the tent, stomping passed Alphonse's hiding place. Alphonse gulped, praying that she would not see him when she was this upset. But, lo and behold, she saw him out of the corner of her eye and turned her body toward him, her anger seemed to melt off of her face, "Hello, Alphonse, did I scare you?" She inquired, her usual warm smile spread across her face as she spoke to him gently, like his mother had when she was still alive.

"I didn't mean to…you…Roy…I'm…it's just…overheard…" Alphonse started to jumble out his next words, unsure of what to say to her, Riza's smile seemed to fade and he braced himself for a long lecture on how eavesdropping on a person's private conversation was wrong, instead, Riza knelt ever-so-slightly so she was eye level with him.

"Its okay, Alphonse, we were being quite loud. I'm sorry you had to hear us like that." Riza smiled; although she didn't need to, Al could see that she was trying to mask her true emotions with hallow smiles and a blanket of happiness.

"You and Roy have been on each other's nerves a lot lately, huh?" Alphonse replied, Riza's eyes darted away and she was quiet for a few moments before speaking.

"Ever since you left to find Ed, we've both been stressed out, trying to find some way to put a quick and permanent end to this pointless war, all this stupid battle is doing is taking away lives one by one, slowly and painfully each day we continue with this nonsense." Riza responded, running a hand through her hair, which was let loose from its customary bun. She stood up and so did Alphonse, the two started to walk passed the tents, thinking about something that didn't concern this war.

* * *

Golden eyes opened slowly, Ed sat up, his head throbbing, he still hadn't fully recovered from his poisoned state, but he was getting better with each passing day. He looked around, still delirious since he was on the thin line between sleep and consciousness. When he realized that Alphonse was not next to him, nor in the tent, he panicked.

"Al?" He called out softly, his throat was sore and he had a slight fever, his doctor had said that it was a mild reaction to the certain antibiotic that he was given. His eyes scanned the room, his mind was clouded by the fact that he needed more rest if he was going to get better, but he couldn't sleep without Alphonse's presence.

He stood up, his joints ached, that was due to the poison that had begun to take control over his body, but since he had been given the right amount of treatment and tender, loving care from his little brother, he was coming around.

"Alphonse?" He asked again, looking around as he walked out of the tent, the air was crisp and cold, but he didn't care, all that he wanted to do was find his little brother, "C'mon, Al, this isn't funny anymore!"

* * *

Alphonse's body stiffened, he could've sworn he had heard Edward's voice. He turned around and started to scan the area with his silver eyes. Nothing. Maybe it was just the wind, or his head playing tricks on him. But, he didn't want to take any chances; the doctor had specifically told Alphonse that Edward had to stay in bed for at least another two to three days just so he could recover a little more. Riza looked at her adolescent friend.

"What is it, Alphonse?" She questioned, her brow furrowed in puzzlement, her head slightly tilted to the side as she examined the teenage alchemist in front of her. Alphonse looked at her, still trying to figure out what in the world was going on himself.

"I thought I heard Niisan's voice, that's all." Al replied, turning his head in the direction of the tent they shared, "I think I'd better go check on him, because knowing him, he won't stay in bed without me there to tell him, and if he doesn't stay in bed and get a lot of rest he won't get better." Al made a slight scowl, "I wish he'd just listen to me, just once, that's all I ask for! Sorry, Riza, but I really think I should check on him, is that okay?''

"Of course, I'll go apologize to Roy, I don't want him to start to wallow in guilt or something like that, besides, someone needs to make sure he gets all that paperwork done." Riza smiled, "I'll see you in the morning, Soul." She smiled, watching Alphonse walk off, toward his tent.

Alphonse arrived at their tent and sighed before brining his hand to the tent flap, pulling it back, walking into his own personal haven.

"Niisan, sorry I was gone, how are you feel…ing?" Al's question was left unanswered by the golden adolescent for the teen was missing, "Ed? Ed!?"

A huge wave of paranoia hit Alphonse in the next few seconds, which was soon replaced by fury. He knew that the doctor had told Ed that he needed to stay in bed. Extremely pissed, Alphonse stormed out of the tent and looked around, he was so mad with Edward.

"Ed!" Al called out, "This isn't funny! You're not going to get any better if you don't stay in bed like the doctor told you to!" The only response Al got was the howling wind. Miffed, Alphonse started to look around for his brother.

* * *

Edward smiled, a fire was going and a few soldiers were sitting around it, trying to keep warm as they talked amongst themselves, Ed noticed a few familiar faces, such as Lieutenant Maria Ross and Sergeant Denny Brosh. Deciding he had nothing better to do, Ed walked over to the circle of soldiers.

"Fullmetal!" A voice called, Ed looked over and saw Roy, a hot mug in between his hands, "You can sit next to me, Ed." Ed shrugged and walked over; normally he would never even think of sitting next that smug bastard, but today, since he didn't feel one hundred percent better, he decided he might as well take any seat offered to him. Maria looked over at Edward and smiled.

"Edward Elric, oh, sorry, I guess I should I call you 'Fullmetal'." Maria stated; Ed turned his head so he could see her, a smirk appeared on his face.

"It's been a while, Lieutenant." Ed replied and Maria nodded, Brosh was taking a swig of whatever was in his mug.

"You're not getting yourself into more trouble are you?" Maria inquired, but before Ed could reply, Brosh contributed to the conversation.

"Hey, Fullmetal, how's your recovery coming?" Denny asked and Edward didn't even think about the question, he just shrugged; he didn't know how close he was to being fully healed; only Alphonse knew that. Riza walked over to the group of military officers and sat next to Roy, she looked depressed.

"Listen, I'm sorry for snapping at you, Riza…it's just that…" Roy began, but Riza placed her index finger to his lips, cutting his apology short as a smile appeared on her face, making her depressed appearance dissolve instantly.

"I'm sorry for reacting the way I did, Roy." She said, Roy kissed her cheek and Ed rolled his eyes and made a face, watching Roy make out with Riza was something he preferred to live without seeing. Maria looked at Brosh, a light blush on her face.

"It's cool that Ed's feeling better, don't you think?" Brosh questioned, Maria nodded, her blush growing wider and more vivid as she looked into Denny's gentle, dark eyes.

"Denny…there's something I need to tell you…" She said, looking at her feet, trying to hide her reddening face.

"What is it?" Denny inquired, cocking his head to the side ever so slightly.

"Well…um…" Maria began, but she must've gotten to worried, "It's nothing; forget I even said anything, okay?"

"Are you sure?" Denny questioned.

"Yes, its fine, I just need a drink that's all. I'll be right back, okay?" Maria assured her friend, wasting no time in rushing off to go get something to drink. Ed smirked; he knew exactly what was going on. Lieutenant Ross had a crush on Sergeant Brosh, he couldn't help but laugh at how dense Denny was being, but then again, he thought back before Alphonse had confessed and how dense he had been…

"Edward!" Al's voice pulled him out of his reverie. Ed hesitantly looked over his shoulder to see a very pissed off Alphonse.

"H-hey, Al…" He stammered, a weak smile on his face, "W-what's wrong?"

"What's wrong?" Al repeated, "You know damn well what's wrong, Edward! The doctor told you to stay in bed, and that's just what you're going to do!" Alphonse said between clenched teeth.

"C'mon, Al, I don't want to just sit there, I can get better without some old guy in a white coat telling me what to do!" Ed retorted, folding his arms across his chest, as usual, he was determined to win this little fight.

"Not on my watch, Ed. You're going to go back to that tent, and get back in bed and let your body do its job!" Al said forcefully, grabbing Ed's forearm, pulling him toward the tents. Ed writhed, but he was, in fact, weak from the drugs that had been put into his bloodstream by means of the injection.

"Damn doctor…" Ed muttered under his breath, Al shot him a glare and that silenced Edward instantly.

"That's better!" Al smiled, Ed just rolled his golden eyes.

* * *

Hikari: Okay, like I said before, give me your thoughts to motivate me, guys! And, I need to find the time to type this, or I'll never get anything accomplished, so reveiw, please. No, this is not the last chapter, so don't freak out, okay?


	18. Chapter 18

Hikari: Yay! I didn't have school today or tomorrow and then I have the whole weekend after that, so I wrote 'till my fingers were sore. I did this all for 'Forbidden Love' fans such as PrincessIxi and AmaranthineAnathema and Bramblerose4! This was probably the most difficult chapter to write because of the...the...

'Ryuuketsu' means 'Bloodshed'

* * *

**Chapter 18: ****Ryuuketsu**

Alphonse was curled up next to Ed, fast asleep. Edward had been pretending to sleep when Al was awake just so his little brother would decide that he could go to sleep as well. The truth was, Ed couldn't sleep, he had too much on his mind, on nights like this, Ed would stare up at the ceiling, just counting the minutes until he could finally get some rest, but he'd end up counting for a long time. Riza walked into the room, she walked over to Ed's bedside and put a hand to his forehead, she recoiled quickly, telling Ed that he had a high fever.

"Here, let me get a rag on that, Edward." She said soothingly, walking over to the desk in the corner, the doctor had left a bowl of water that had long since cooled down, it was perfect. Riza soaked a cloth in the icy water and rung it out before walking over to the fever-stricken teenager, she placed the cool rag on his smoldering forehead and Ed instantly felt himself be relieved of something he didn't even know was bothering him.

"Thanks, Riza." Ed smiled, Riza ruffled his golden hair slightly and tucked him and Alphonse in, she kissed Al's forehead and then kissed the top of Ed's head before replying.

"Get better soon, Edward, okay?" She said and with that, she slowly left the tent, Ed just sat there, remembering when he was a little kid, his mother would walk into their room just like Riza had done, and give them a goodnight kiss. Oh, how much Edward missed those little things…

* * *

Hours ticked by and Edward's eyelids were getting heavy with sleep, he kept trying to stay up, even though his body insisted that he stop it and get some rest. Soon, sleep gained control over the stubborn adolescent and he fell limp against the mattress. The cool desert breeze found its way into the tent and brushed against the sleeping teenagers' skin. Alphonse cuddled closer to his brother's chest, finding his heartbeat soothing. Al's silver eyes shot open, his breathing was coming out in ragged pants and his heart was racing. A few moments passed and he soon realized everything was alright and it was just a nightmare. He sighed in relief and looked over at Ed. Al cocked his head to the side slightly; he didn't remember putting a rag on Ed's forehead. He shrugged and kissed the top of Ed's golden-blonde head before curling up beneath the sheets again.

* * *

Morning came, Alphonse awoke, only to find Edward gone, he didn't think anything of it, because Ed was getting better, and all of the military officers around would keep a close watch on him…wouldn't they? Al got out of bed and zipped the tent flap so he could change in privacy. He quickly did so and tied his long hair back in a ponytail before unzipping the tent and walking off. 

"Morning, Alphonse." Roy smiled as he walked by; Alphonse returned the friendly smile and waved. Maria was talking with Riza over by the water spout, Armstrong was talking to Havoc and Brosh about how muscles like his had been in the Armstrong family for generations or something along the lines of that, Al rolled his eyes, was there anything that _wasn't_ in the Armstrong family for generations? The silver-eyed adolescent continued his walk, trying to find any sign of his brother.

When he couldn't find any hint to where Ed was, he started to get worried, so he walked over to Maria and Riza. Riza smiled and waved.

"Good morning, Alphonse!" Maria beamed. Alphonse forced a smile, since he was too worried about his brother to give her a true one.

"Is something wrong, Alphonse?" Riza inquired, but her smile soon faded as she studied the look on the teenage boy's face.

"I can't find Niisan, and he shouldn't be walking around too much in his condition." Al replied, Riza placed a hand on his shoulder and Al looked at her in confusion.

"Edward talked to me this morning, he said he was going to do some alchemy, that's all, he's fine, he's probably over with the other alchemists, so you shouldn't worry, Alphonse. He told me that he should stop recovering the way people tell him to and that he should recover his own way, besides, he doesn't want to be babied, he's the big brother and he should be taking care of you, not the other way around." Riza said before shaking her head, "But that's not what I think, I think you both need to take care of each other, isn't that what your mother would want?"

Al's eyes widened and his eyes welled up with tears as he remembered his mother's dying day.

* * *

_"Use it, and take care of each other." Trisha smiled, clutching her boys' warm hands in her own cold and clammy one._

_"What are you talking about? We'll use it with you." Ed said, his voice beginning to crack, something Alphonse wasn't used to hearing. _

_"Edward, would you be a sweetheart and transmute something for your mother? Yes, I know, a ring of flowers would be nice. Your father…always…used to make them for me." And with that, the loving woman and mother, closed her eyes for the last time and exhaled her last breath of life, her hand that was clutching the boys' so tightly fell limp and they knew she was gone.

* * *

_

Alphonse came out of his heartbreaking flashback and nodded, his eyes burning with the unshed tears that were building in his silver orbs. He sighed looked over at the training grounds and a flash of blue electricity was seen, he knew it was his brother's. Riza pulled the teen into a hug, startling him.

"I know it hurts you to remember your mother, Alphonse, but it's what she wanted right?" Riza asked, Alphonse returned the mother-like hug and nodded.

"Those were her exact words…" Alphonse murmured sadly, the tears that had built up finally breaking the burning dam and were already cascading down his face in hot, salty droplets. Riza released him from the hug, a caring beam spread across her gentle face.

"Go. Go and fulfill your mother's dying wish, Alphonse, and take care of each other." Riza said ever so gently that it reminded Alphonse of the way his mother would speak to him and Ed whenever she got the chance. Al nodded, and turned his gaze toward the radiant azure electrical energy. He started to walk over to the field. Maria and Riza watched him.

"You really do love those two, don't you, Riza?" Maria asked, Riza turned her head so she was looking at the female military officer.

"Yes, I love them as if they were my own." Riza smiled, Maria looked over toward Denny, "And you love him as much as I love Roy, don't you?"

"You caught me." Maria admitted, a blush arising on her soft skin, "I love Denny…"

"Tell him, Alphonse confessed his love to that special someone and I've never seen him happier!" Riza beamed, walking over toward her husband, leaving the brunette alone.

* * *

A few months passed since then… 

The golden-eyed alchemist wiped the sweat from his brow, he was panting heavily, a few stray stands of blonde hair were sticking out from the once neatly done plait, his hair had grown to well past his shoulders now and it was as long as it was before the rebels had sliced it short. He and Armstrong were sparring, just to see if he was back at full health yet, the doctor had said that he was getting better, but he really should stick to getting a lot of sleep, but Edward refused that treatment and said he would do his own recuperation practice.

"You're pushing yourself too far, Edward Elric, you should really slow down, you don't want to over do it again." Armstrong cautioned, blocking Edward's kick with his arm.

"I'll know when I've pushed myself too far, Armstrong, stop worrying." Ed panted; clapping his hands together, in a flash of blue electricity, his automail arm had been transformed into a shimmering blade. Armstrong winced for he wasn't expecting that from the blonde-haired adolescent boy. Armstrong and Edward blocked each other's attacks efficiently, wearing each other down quite rapidly. Ed jumped into the air, coming down hard at Armstrong with his foot, Armstrong instinctively grabbed the boy's ankle, twisted it and slammed him onto the ground, Ed wasn't down yet, pushed himself back up with his fingers and drop-kicked his strong opponent, knocking him down instantly. Armstrong, who was now fully absorbed into the combat, knocked Ed to his feet, picked up his small body and threw him across the field, Ed hit one of the targets that was meant for target practice and fell to the hot sand face first. He sat up and spat out the mouthful of sand that he had unpleasantly gotten a taste of.

"Last time I checked, Fullmetal, sand wasn't edible." Roy's voice filled Ed's ears, Ed looked up and saw Fuhrer Mustang standing in front of him with a smug grin plastered on his face.

"And last time I checked, you were still a morally-bankrupt jerk with a God complex." Ed retorted, starting to stand up, but he fell back down onto the blazing sand after a searing pain bit into his side, and he knew he had over did it once again, but he ignored that and stood up again, pushing aside the fact that he was in pain. Edward forced himself to stand up, wincing as he did so.

"Look, all I want to say is that maybe if you wouldn't push yourself so hard and if you would've listened to your doctor, maybe you would be better by now, Fullmetal." Roy sighed, rubbing the back of his neck, "You're such a pain in the neck sometimes, Ed. You've got your brother worried sick about you all of the time, so if you won't stop being so reckless for us, stop for him, just until you get better." Roy said, starting to walk away.

"I'm the older brother; I should be worrying about him, not the other way around, Mustang!" Ed spat, storming off toward his and Alphonse's tent.

* * *

He pushed aside the tent flap and flung himself onto his bed and heaved a sigh. As he lay there staring at the ceiling, he soaked in Roy's words, maybe he should stop listening to what he thought was right and listen to the doctor. He shook his head. No, he never listened to anybody before, why should he start now? He didn't listen when they tried to bring their mother back from the dead, he didn't listen when people said the stone was the Devil's Quest, he was NOT going to listen now. 

A few minutes ticked by slowly and Edward was clenching and unclenching his automail hand, listening to the creaking of the gears and how surreal the metal limb sounded when it flexed. He had been hearing that sound for five years now and he still found the reverberation it made illusory and out of place.

* * *

"_Niisan?" Alphonse asked._

"_What is it?" Ed replied, his gentle, golden eyes locking with Al's silver. Al sighed before speaking._

"_I haven't forgotten the promise I made you to get your arm and leg back."_

"_Don't start with that crap with me, Al!" Ed snapped, Al quieted down and felt tears form in his eyes, Ed's voice pierced through him when he yelled like that. Al felt strong arms pull him into a reassuring embrace, "I'm sorry, Alphonse."

* * *

_

Edward exhaled audibly, Alphonse was still dwelling on the past, even though he had insisted that automail was perfectly fine with him and he didn't need his birth limbs back because the automail had saved his life more times than he could count.

"Niisan?" Al's voice called. Ed sat up on his cot, watching the tent flap intently, just waiting for Al to walk into the tent. Sure enough, Al did, and when his eyes settled on Edward, he smiled and rushed over, tackling Edward on the spot, "I was getting worried about you, Niisan, I haven't seen you all day."

"Sorry, Al, I just took a walk, that's all." Ed lied between his teeth, Al saw through it, though.

"I know you better than that, Niisan. You were sparring again, weren't you? Are you hurt? Did you push yourself too far again?" Al's barrage of questions was starting to make Ed's head throb because he had in fact, pushed himself too far and as a result, it made it impossible for him to reply to any of Al's concerned questions.

"Yes, I sparred. No I didn't get hurt. And no, I didn't push myself too far again, Alphonse." Ed answered them quickly. Edward squirmed out of Al's hold and started to get up, but his body didn't agree and a surge of pain bit into his side again, he clutched it and let out a choked cry, Alphonse's eyes widened and he pulled Ed into a hug.

"You _did_ hurt yourself, didn't you?" Al asked, "I told you to be careful, Niisan, I told you! Why don't you listen to me anymore?" Al inquired; Ed trailed his gaze to the ground and avoided all eye contact, "Niisan? I'm just worried about you, why can't you understand? I just want you go get better, so you don't have to go through this pain every day!"

"Alphonse, I'm--." Ed began, but a gunshot was heard, Alphonse and Edward tensed, both of them stood up and bolted out of the tent, making sure the other was close by. Riza rushed by with Denny, Maria, and Jean.

"Havoc, what's going on?" Ed inquired, running along side the small group of soldiers.

"The rebels are back, Ed, they're back and they want bloodshed." Alphonse gulped, Ed nodded, and they arrived at the edge of the base, they could see an army of rebels on the horizon, the sun had set and the sky was dark, Ed looked up, the moon was radiant with a vibrant blue. Ed thought that was ironic, since the rebels only attacked once in a blue moon. Ed felt Al place a hand his shoulder, Ed looked over at him, Al was pointing at the sand. The sand had taken on a white appearance because of the strange color of the moon. It looked like desert snow.

A gunshot from Riza's hand gun snapped Edward out of his trance-like state, his gaze darted over toward Roy, who was snapping his fingers, sending flames into streaks across the darkened sky. A barrage of bullets was soon fired, killing a selected few on each side of the battlefield. Edward and Alphonse watched in horror, they were afraid that the next one would be the other, and that was something they couldn't ever life with.

"Fullmetal, Havoc, Brosh! Come with me!" Roy called, "Ross, Soul, Armstrong, you go with Riza, every one else, keep your positions and don't die!"

Reluctantly, Edward and Alphonse did as they were ordered to. But just as Edward was about to disappear with Roy's group, Alphonse cried out, stopping him in his tracks immediately.

"Don't get hurt, Niisan!" Alphonse called at the top of his lungs so Ed would hear him over the gunshots, Ed nodded and turned to go, _'I love you_.' Al added silently. Minutes passed and Jean and Denny were slaughtering some rebels with pocketknives, their crimson blood leaking onto and staining the white sand. Roy burned a few with his flames, Edward drop-kicked one, clapped his hands together, and transmuted his automail into a blade, slicing into the man's side, killing him instantly. Another caught Ed by surprise by getting him in a headlock, Ed growled, and elbowed him the gut, jabbing his blade into the rebel's stomach, jerking it out with little mercy, the man dropped to the sand, his blood staining the white sand as well. Edward hated ending peoples' lives, but because he was a dog of the military, he had to do all of the tricks, no matter how dirty and low they were.

Suddenly, Roy was attacked by five rebels; Jean stabbed on in the back and sliced another one's shoulder. While Denny had his hands full with three rebels of his own, Ed jumped into the air and kicked one in the head, Denny took this chance and shot him in the head, he died instantaneously. Edward felt his stomach start to churn unpleasantly; the sight of so many dead bodies was starting to get to him. Roy burned all of the rebels that had tackled him; he pulled out two guns and started blasting at them, a trick he had learned from Riza. Soon, Ed and Roy were back to back.

"Ready, Fullmetal?" Roy asked and Edward nodded. Roy whirled around, placed the guns in their slings, wove his fingers together and got down on one knee, Ed jumped onto Roy's hand with on foot and Roy heaved upward, sending Ed flying, Roy tossed Edward a gun, which he caught in midair and shot a few rebels in the process, Ed landed on his feet with some difficulty, but shrugged it off and looked over at Roy, "Wow, that's the first time we used that in battle, Fullmetal, I can't believe we pulled it of." Roy smiled.

"Yeah, it was probably just luck, though." Ed grinned, tossing the weapon back to its possessor, who tucked it back into place. Brosh and Havoc rushed over to their comrades.

"That was a great move, Fuhrer Mustang." Havoc said before placing a hand on Ed's shoulder. Ed looked up at his friend, "Most people couldn't pull this off at your age, Ed. But I guess you've been giving a taste of how much worse life could be, huh?"

"Believe me, Lieutenant, I've seen a lot worse." Edward replied, looking at Roy.

"Let's get back to the troops." Roy said, none of his comrades disagreed with that. As the small group of guys made their way back to the eye of the battle, they heard quite a fuss coming from the midst of it.

"Ross, look out! Armstrong, watch your back! Soul, rebels at 6 o'clock!" They recognized the voice as Riza's, Roy's features instantly took on a more concerned appearance. Edward broke into a run; he wasn't going to stand on the sidelines when his little brother was in the midst of the violence.

"Fullmetal, you moron! You'll get shot out there!" Roy called, but Ed didn't care, all he wanted to do was get back at Al's side.

"Alphonse!" Ed called out; Al looked at him and smiled. Edward skidded to a halt at his side and the two fought in sync with each other.

Edward dodged a bullet, pulling Alphonse with him. Al returned the favor by pushing Ed out of the way of a blade, the two were perfect with each other, they didn't need to talk; it was like they just knew what the other was thinking. A rebel got Alphonse in a headlock and a knife to his neck, Ed gritted his teeth and whacked the man in the back of the head with his automail, Alphonse maneuvered out of the limp man's hold and took his place at his brother's side.

"Let go of him!" Ed hissed venomously, Al was about to thank his brother when all of a sudden, a rebel lunged at Ed and pinned him to the white sand, Ed glared at the familiar man out of the corner of his eye. It was Brock.

"You may have gotten away last time, Fullmetal, but you won't elude me again!" Brock spat, pulling out a pocketknife, "If you want something done right, you've got to do it yourself!" Brock was about to press the blade into Ed's neck when…

"Get off of him, you bastard!" Alphonse growled, tackling the hated man, the two wrestled, causing Ed's heartbeat to increase rapidly. He was afraid that Al might get stabbed. Alphonse bit into the rebel's shoulder, causing the older man to howl in pain. He punched Al in the face, but Al didn't care, the bastard had almost killed his brother numerous times, and he wasn't going to let him get that chance ever again. Edward ran towards the two, but four rebels grabbed him and held him back. Alphonse kneed Brock in the gut, causing the Ishballan jump off of him and curse. Al's silver eyes darkened with pure hatred as he looked at the rebel in front of him, Brock reached into his pocket, Edward's eyes widened and the silver gun glinted in the blue moonshine just before Brock pulled back on the trigger.

Al shrieked in agony as the sound of a gunshot rang in his ears and a surreal amount of pain took control over his body. The adolescent's eyes widened in horror as he realized what happened; he dropped to his knees and fell onto the desert snow, his blood oozing out of his freshly made wound.

"ALPHONSE!" Edward cried out, tears cascading down his face as he looked at his brother's limp form that lay on the white sand, which was beginning to get tainted by Al's crimson blood.

* * *

Hikari: That's what I was talking about earlier! Alphonse! Well, if you want to know what happens to poor Aru, you'll give me a review, you know how! Catch ya later! 


	19. Kuraku

Hikari: Whew...I'm surprised I finished this chapter so fast...what with Algebra and a whole lot of quizzes and tests to study for...jeez. Well, this chapter is pretty long, so I hope it will keep you busy for a while, or at least until I have a chance to update. I was listening to Naruto 'Sadness and Sorrow' while I wrote a great majority of this chapter, which is probably way it is so sad. I hope you like it, no this is NOT the final chapter, don't freak out...oh, and for those of you that read chapter 18, you won't hate me...for a while anyway. I'd like to ask you NOT to skip ahead to the ending, no matter how tempted you are, it won't make any sense without the rest of the chapter. I won't be mad if you do, but it's for your sake, not mine.

'Kuraku' means 'Joy and Sorrow'

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**Chapter 19: Kuraku **

"Alphonse…no…no, it's not true…Al…Al?" Ed murmured, tears dripping down his face. Alphonse did not respond. Edward gritted his teeth, his vision blurred by his scorching tears. He broke free of the rebels grasp and jabbed into one of the rebel's lower abdomen. Ed pulled out his blade and stabbed another in the chest and jerked it out mercilessly, quickly he clapped his hands together, and placed them on the metal pole that one of the rebels had been holding, transforming it into a spear, Ed spun it around in a full circle, killing the other two rebels, his golden eyes settling on Brock.

"Come get me, Fullmetal!" Brock grinned maliciously, pointing his unforgiving weapon at the teenager's upper body, Brock pulled back on the trigger, Ed dodged and did a combat roll toward his brother's assailant, Edward would not accept the fact that his precious brother had been shot down by the hands of such a heartless man. Ed wrenched Brock's arm behind his back and twisted his wrist.

"If my brother doesn't survive this, I'll make you wish you were never born, damn it!" Edward growled, Brock smirked and maneuvered his way out of Ed's hold, and kneed him the in the gut, knocking the adolescent down into the white sand.

"Your threats don't frighten me, Fullmetal. Just knowing that hurting your brother had such an impact on your soul is heaven for me! I hate you with ever speck of protein in my body, and I hate your brother just as much! Hell, I hate everybody in this damn military!" Brock growled, punching Edward in the stomach, pinning the teen into the sand. Edward's gaze trailed over to his brother's limp body. His eyes widened as he noticed that Alphonse was still breathing, his brother was alive! Then he had to make this count, he had to do this for Alphonse, who was trying so hard to survive that last attack. Brock grabbed Edward by the neck and started to strangle the teen alchemist, "You have been a thorn in my side for long enough, Fullmetal, and I'm going to fix that right now! Don't worry about your brother; you'll be joining him in hell in a few minutes!" Edward was clawing viciously at Brock's fingers, trying to free himself from the Ishbalan's death grip. The loud bang of a gunshot was heard and a bullet narrowly missed Brock's head, Brock looked up and Edward still writhed in his grasp.

"Let go of him, or next time I won't miss!" Riza growled as her mahogany eyes darkened with detestation as she glared at the man that had shot down the Soul Alchemist only moments ago, "Now!" Riza spat, pulling out another hand gun from the sling that hung from the belt on her waistline.

"Damn it! Let go of him, you bastard!" Roy spat venomously, snapping his fingers, creating an intense flame. Almost a split-second later, Brock screamed in extreme pain and released his hold on Edward's neck and Ed immediately gasped for breath as he scrambled over to his brother's side, gathering the bloody teen into his arms, hot, salty tears cascading down his face.

"Don't leave me Alphonse…don't…we're all we've got!" Edward begged, his hold on Alphonse tightening as he pulled Alphonse against him so the teen's head was resting on his shoulder, Ed's burning tears dripping onto the alchemist's clothes. Alphonse slowly opened his eyes and it took him a minute to realize where he was. He hadn't really passed out, it was just he was in too much pain to so much as move to see what the Ishbalan man was doing to his golden brother, let alone reply to his older brother's cries. Alphonse weakly lifted his arms and enfolded them around his brother's form as tight as he could and he nuzzled the crook of Edward's neck, tears seeping out of his silver eyes because of the intensity of the pain the Ishbalan rebel had caused him.

"I won't…" Edward's body went rigid as Al's voice fell upon his ears. It took Edward a moment to realize that he wasn't just hearing things, Alphonse was well enough to speak to him. A small smile spread across his features. He had thought his little brother had left him alone in this forsaken world.

"Alphonse…" Edward murmured, he pulled away from Alphonse just enough so they could see into each other's eyes. His heart skipped a beat as he looked into his brother's silver orbs; Alphonse's usually kind and gentle eyes were filled with pain, "Its going to be okay…I'll…I'll take care of you…I promise…" Edward's voice was cracking as he spoke gently to his little brother and Alphonse could sense the change in his brother's normally overconfident tone.

"Your voice…is shaking, Niisan…you're…scared…" Alphonse murmured, Edward's cheeks burned because of the trail that the hot tears had made on his skin, and the never-ending flow was making it worse as each drop of salty water slithered down Edward's face, "It…it hurts, Niisan…make the pain go away…please…" Al whimpered, clinging closer to his brother. All of a sudden, Edward was jerked backward, out his weak lover's arms, Edward looked at the person that had pulled them apart; it was that bastard Ishbalan rebel, Brock.

"Sorry to ruin such a tear-jerking moment!" The tanned man grinned as he tossed Edward onto the sand face first, Edward looked over his shoulder at his little brother, who was losing blood rapidly, but the teenager was still able to watch watching in horror with his pain-filled silver eyes at what the Ishbalan rebel was doing to his precious golden brother. Edward cried out in pain as the dreaded red-eyed man stomped down hard on Edward's back.

"Niisan!" Al cried out helplessly. Riza rushed over to Alphonse's side and started to examine the adolescent alchemist's wound.

"Riza, you stay with Soul and make sure that he doesn't try anything!" Roy called over to his wife. Riza nodded reluctantly and allowed Al to use her as a crutch. She knew that Al's wound was bad and that he should've passed out by now. Brock dug his foot deeper into Edward's back; Ed gritted his teeth together to keep himself from crying out in agony. Alphonse's eyes widened as Brock pulled out a knife and pointed it toward his brother. He couldn't take it anymore. Al writhed in Riza's hold and after a few moments, he broke free and ran over to his brother, he tackled the Ishbalan and held down the hand that held the knife so that the blade was buried deep in the sand. Edward got up and grabbed his little brother and dragged him off of the evil man's back.

"Alphonse what were you thinking?!" Ed demanded, although his stern-tone was only halfhearted because he was more shaken up than anything right now.

"I…wasn't going to let…you die…" Al struggled to get the words out.

"You moron, that doesn't mean you should pull off stunts like that, you could've gotten yourself killed in the condition your in!" Edward said; his voice gentle and soft; a smile tugged at Alphonse's lips.

"Get Soul and Fullmetal out of here! NOW!" The two heard Roy shout his order. Jean cursed under his breath; he was out of bullets, he pulled a few out of his pocket and loaded his gun. As usual, he had a cigarette in his mouth and it wasn't lit. He pulled back on the trigger and shot the Ishbalan man in the arm. Brock growled and shot a death glare at the Lieutenant with his cold, blood-red eyes and lunged at him wildly, his blade aimed for Jean's chest. Jean gritted his teeth and moved out of the way at the last minute, he aimed at the tan-skinned man in front of him and pulled the trigger back, a gunshot was heard, and Brock cried out in pain, but he wasn't about to give up yet. The crimson-eyed man had numerous wounds, but he still was not going to give up, not now. Edward looked over at Lieutenant Havoc, who was still struggling to kill the Ishbalan rebel.

"Riza, make sure Al gets some help. I've got to go back." Ed stated, his golden eyes full of determination as he handed his little brother into the arms of one of his closest friends in the military. Riza nodded and clutched to Alphonse tightly, so he could not escape her grasp this time.

"Niisan? Niisan, don't! I don't want to lose you to this madness!" Al cried after his golden-eyed brother. Edward refrained himself from looking back; he knew he couldn't. Just looking at his little brother would make him turn back and stay with him. But he knew he couldn't. He had to help stop the man that had almost taken his brother's life. Mustang glanced over at Fullmetal.

"Fullmetal, get out of here, your little brother needs you." Mustang said, snapping his fingers together, dodging a bullet as he did so. Edward's gaze darkened.

"You need my help now more than ever, Mustang." Ed retorted, clapping his hands together, touching a metal pole that was on the ground, turning it into a spear. Roy looked at the blonde-hair adolescent alchemist and sighed. It was true. He did need an alchemist at hand.

"Just don't get yourself killed, Fullmetal." Roy groaned. Edward smirked in triumph and nodded, there was no way in hell he was going down in this war.

"Damn it!" Havoc cursed as the frenzied Ishbalan sliced his gun in half with his sharp blade which had narrowly missed cutting his arm clean off in the process. Edward gritted his teeth, only one thing was on the blonde's mind and that was to stop Brock at all costs. He lunged between Havoc and the furious crimson-eyed man, and grabbed Brock's wrist and twisted it ruthlessly, Brock's face contorted into a scowl and he pulled his hand back and backhanded the teen, sending him flying a few feet back, Ed closed his eyes in pain and moaned as he sat up, putting his automail hand to his forehead. A searing pain surged through every point in Edward's body and the teen almost blacked out because the agony was so intense within a matter of seconds. He cracked one golden eye open just a sliver so he could see something. Brock was right in his face with a sinister smirk on his face. Ed opened his eyes fully and looked at his left side because it was the source of the pain; his breathe stopped and his heart skipped a beat; there was a blade sticking into his side just above his hip and warm, scarlet ooze was trickling out of the open wound.

"Fullmetal?" Jean's voice filled Ed's ears, Ed looked over Brock's shoulder, the blood in his head was pounding painfully against his skull, he felt like he was going to pass out because of the extreme pain that was pumping through his body like blood. Lieutenant Jean Havoc ran toward the teenage alchemist and psychopath rebel, his eyes widened at the sight of blood on the white sand.

"Get out of here, Lieutenant!" Edward called, wincing as he moved. Brock grinned and pulled the blade out of Ed's side and Ed let out a choked cry, tears collecting in the corners of his golden-yellow eyes, "Get out of here while you still have the chance!" Ed called again, struggling to stand up. Brock grabbed Ed by his tank top and jerked him up into the air. The adolescent alchemist was too weak to fight back; he had lost a lot of blood from that blow. Only the Ishbalan rebel's crimson-eyes were full of extreme hatred for the teen that was in his grasp. He kneed the cocky Fullmetal Alchemist in the gut; Edward clenched his jaws, keeping himself from crying out in pain.

"You're going to die, Fullmetal." Brock breathed, "You will die at my hands!" He grinned manically, punching the already weak teenager in the face, causing his lip to split and blood began to trickle from the wound. Edward growled and broke free of Brock's hold, he drop-kicked the Ishbalan, causing him to fall face down in the dense sand. The blonde-haired teen smirked, he wasn't done just yet. He grabbed Brocks arm and twisted it viciously, holding it like that for a few seconds before pulling his automail leg back, getting into the right position for a strong kick. Just as his foot was about to meet it's target, Brock grabbed the golden-eyed teen's ankle, twisted it and jerked hard on his leg, pulling Ed down to the ground. Edward writhed in Brock's hold, he freed himself and started to stand up but he fell down again; it was because of his prosthetic leg.

"Damn it!" Ed muttered under his breath, glaring at his enemy. Brock lunged at Edward. He punched the bleeding adolescent in the stomach, Ed groaned in pain as he was sent flying backward. The rebel wasn't done yet, he grabbed Ed's braid and yanked it hard, placing a firm foot on the boy's chest, pushing down on his ribcage hard. Ed squirmed under the pressure but to no avail. Brock pulled out his blade and tried to slice Ed's forehead, but Ed moved out of the way just in the nick of time, but he wasn't completely untouched, a thin sliver of a cut was visible above his brow. Brock growled; he wanted to end this now. He punched Ed in the face, grabbed his automail arm and jerked it out, tossing it a few feet away, he grabbed the alchemist's head and jerked him into the air and threw him as hard as he could. Ed hit the sand on his side and sat up, he was in a lot of pain, his hair was sticking out of the once neatly done plait and he was bleeding all over. Havoc darted towards the two, getting the Ishbalan in a headlock; Brock elbowed the man in the gut and turned his attention back to his primary target. Jean ran a hand through his hair and looked around, his eyes settled upon his gun, but it was too far away and Edward could be killed if he took that long. No, he had to do something fast. He looked around frantically and saw Ed's automail limb. He grinned and rushed over to it and grabbed it, he then ran as fast as he could toward the darker-toned man…

"Why the hell won't you die?!" Brock demanded, jabbing his knife into Ed's flesh arm, dragging it out, leaving a long, deep gash in the boy's arm. Edward glared at him with pure hatred. He kicked Ed again and sliced into Ed's right shoulder, allowing blood to seep into the exposed automail port. Cold sweat trickled down Edward's skin.  
_'So…is this it? Is this how I'm going to die? And leave Alphonse all alone?' _Ed thought as he received more vicious blows to numerous parts of his body, getting cut open in various places. A tear slithered down Ed's cheek and splattered onto the sand, leaving a darkened spot as he thought about everything that they had been through together. How they promised that they would always be there for each other. Well, there he was…breaking that pact because of something the State had dragged him into. Yep, that's what he gets for signing over his freewill to the State. All they had to do was just jerk his chain and drag him into this God forsaken mess, it was that easy. Ed shook his head, trying to push himself up with his hands, _'No…this war can't…no…it will NOT take me down!' _He struggled to get up, back onto his feet.

Brock kicked the alchemist across the desert snow before beginning to cackle softly, watching the weak teen try to get up.

"Stop lying to yourself, Pipsqueak, you're not strong enough to make it through this war, you never were." Brock said, Ed's body went rigid at the word 'pipsqueak', "You might as well just let yourself die. You failed, Fullmetal. You failed yourself…but most importantly…you failed to keep your promise your little brother!"

Edward froze. Brock was right. He had failed to keep his promise to Alphonse. He had said that he wouldn't get hurt. Now look at him. He was so close to dying, he might as well go knock on the Gate and turn himself into hell's fire now and get it over with. Brock noticed that he was getting through; Ed was actually listening to him.

"Just let your soul be swallowed by the Gate your pain will go away." Brock grinned; his crimson eyes locked the adolescent's quaking form. Ed looked up at Brock, his face was bloody, he was weak, and he was breathing in erratic fashion.

"Because…I told my brother…that I wouldn't die…" Ed panted; his eyes were full of the passion he possessed over the promise he had made to his little brother. Brock clenched his teeth together and stared at his enemy. Havoc's gaze darkened, he only had one shot. Havoc lunged at Brock and whacked him in the back of the head with Ed's automail arm, knocking him down instantly; he glanced over at Ed, and smirked.

"Need a hand, Fullmetal?" Havoc asked, starting to walk over to Ed's side. Brock struggled to his feet, he was silent and he pulled out his gun and pointed it at Havoc, he grinned and chuckled and his finger started to pull back on the trigger. Ed saw this and panicked.

"LOOK OUT!" Ed cried out, Havoc whirled around and saw the Ishbalan man pull back on the trigger, the bullet narrowly missed him.

Edward's mind flashed white as a new pain took over his body and he fell to the ground. Havoc turned his attention back to Ed and his eyes widened and his heart skipped a few beats; Edward was unconscious and that was when the Lieutenant realized that he had been shot. Tears welled up in his cerulean eyes, he glared at Brock and lunged at him, wrenching the gun out of his hands. Jean pulled back on the trigger and the bullet pierced through the Ishbalan rebel's torso. Brock fell to the ground, chuckling, even as he was dying.

"At least…I killed that brat!" Brock chuckled softly, before closing his eyes and his entire body fell limp. Havoc felt for his pulse. There was none. The blood-red eyed man was dead. Havoc looked over at his companion and rushed over to Edward's side and gathered him up in his arms, getting the teen's blood all over his uniform.

"Fullmetal? Ed? Ed, buddy, answer me!" Jean pleaded, shaking Ed's body, hot, salty tears cascading down his face. He had never seen Fullmetal so lifeless before, so pale and bloody…he felt for Ed's pulse. It was barely there, and he knew that if Ed didn't get care right away, he would die in his arms; on this battlefield. Roy rushed over and looked at the sight before him.

"Damn it, Fullmetal, you said you weren't going to die!" Roy cursed; he looked over at the paramedics, "Get over here, fast!" Roy called, "We have a soldier down! I repeat, soldier down!" The doctors rushed over and got Ed on a stretcher and they rushed back toward the base. The military had won the war, all the rebels were dead, but they were losing something in exchange. They were losing Fullmetal.

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Hikari: Okay, for those of you that didn't skip ahead to then end of the chapter, thank you so much! I'd like a lot of reviews because I might just put a lot of time into this next chapter within the next few days and get it up by Thanksgiving! Please don't be mad at me, all my favorite writers leave me hanging all of the time and they get a lot of fans! -hides in corner- 


	20. Chapter 20

Hikari: Oookay... it is one thirty in the morning, I'm not tired and I am hyped up on sugah something awful, so don't mind my constant babbling, all right?

Omeasan Yuiitsu means Only You

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**Chapter 20: ****Omaesan Yuiitsu **

"How are you feeling, Alphonse?" Riza asked, brushing Al's bangs out of his face slightly; just like Al's mother used to do when he was sick. Al looked away, he missed his brother and he was tired of worrying all of the time. Footsteps were heard outside of the recovery tent; Alphonse looked up instantly.

"Get out of the way!" An urgent voice called as the hurried footsteps grew louder with each passing second, "He's in critical condition! If he doesn't get attention now, he's going to die!" Riza, who was now very worried, stood up, walked over to the opening of the tent and peered out of the slightly opened flap just to see what all of the commotion was about, none if it made sense, so she figured she'd just ask Ed what was wrong. As a stretcher rushed by, Riza unintentionally caught a glimpse of the critically injured soldier, she inhaled sharply and her heart skipped a beat as her eyes rested upon the figure on the medical stretcher. It was Fullmetal.

"Edward…" Riza murmured under her breath, she looked over at the adolescent alchemist on the cot; his wounds had been attended to and he was beginning to recover just fine. She couldn't tell him about this, but he would find out sooner or later. And she knew that sooner was better.

"Is something wrong, Riza?" Alphonse inquired softly, his silver eyes showed that he was concerned about he soldier, even though he had know idea who it was.

"Um…well, Alphonse…" Riza paused, sighing softly as she but a hand to her forehead and ran it through her blonde hair, her mahogany eyes fixed on the floor. Al immediately knew that it was something he didn't want to hear, but he needed to, "That soldier in critical condition…it's…well, he's Edward--."

"NO!" Alphonse shouted, hot tears building up in his silver eyes, "No! Not Niisan! It can't be Niisan! It could be anybody!" Al protested. Riza knew that he wasn't going to accept this unless he saw it or she had proof.

"I saw the paramedics rush by with the stretcher; your brother was on it and he was unconscious, Alphonse." Riza murmured, her eyes meeting with Al's. She was on the verge of tears as well because Edward and Alphonse were like children to her.

"No! Not Niisan, not my Niisan…" Alphonse replied as he shook his head as tears began to cascade down his face; after a lot of tears trickled down the same trail; it began to make the skin raw and sensitive and it burned every time a salty tear slithered down his face.

"Alphonse…I don't know what else I can say to convince you that Edward is that soldier…" Riza replied softly, she knew it was hard for Al to accept, but he had to, he just had to.

"I won't believe you…" Al murmured, tears dripping off of his face, "Because he promised he wouldn't get hurt…" Riza looked away and felt tears begin to well in her own eyes. She walked over to Alphonse and pulled him into a motherly hug, even though the alchemist was not her own child, she treated him as such.

"You have to believe this, Alphonse; I would never ever say something like this as a joke." Riza paused as Al pulled away from the hug and looked at his hands that were clutching to the thin sheets.

"I know…" Al murmured, "I want to see…" Riza shook her head as she realized what he had said. She wouldn't let him see Edward in his condition; she had almost lost it when she saw Edward and she didn't love him like Alphonse did, all she knew is that Alphonse would take it harder than she did. Riza stood up and started to leave the tent, she stopped as her fingers touched the tent flap.

"It's best you don't see…." She murmured and left Alphonse alone.

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"Hurry up, his remaining life is slipping through our fingers like water!" The main paramedic shouted as he started to clean out of the sand from Edward's numerous wounds so he would not get infected; he even started to get the blood out of the automail port. 

"Doctor, does he need a vaccination?" A nurse asked, cocking her head to the side slightly. The doctor nodded and continued to get the sand and excess blood wiped away. As the nurse got the vaccination ready, Edward's oxygen level started to decrease rapidly.

"Damn it! Hurry up with that injection! Get him hooked up to the breathing apparatus as soon as possible!" The doctor ordered. Within moments, Edward had an air mask on his face and he had received the much needed dose of medicine in the form of an inoculation. The doctor wiped his brow and finished wrapping up Ed's wounds in bandages that were quickly becoming stained with a deep crimson hue.

Unknown to the doctors, Alphonse was looking in through the tent flap; he couldn't see the injured soldier and he refused to believe it was Ed until he had proof that Ed was the critically injured soldier on the emergency table. Al crept in and made his way through the doctors, for some reason, nobody noticed him. When he finally got a decent view of the soldier, his breath stopped and his blood ran cold and tears began to well in his eyes.

"Niisan?" Al murmured, the tears that were building up in his eyes finally breaking free from their prison. He had never seen Ed in such a state; the golden-eyed alchemist was laying still on the bed, his skin was as pale as the moon and the bandages hiding the wounds from Al's view were stained with blood and he knew that it was bad. To make it worse, there was an air mask on his face, enlightening Alphonse to how bad of a state his body was in; he broke down sobbing, pushing his way to his unconscious brother's bedside, "Niisan? Niisan, wake up! Wake up! Edward, please!"

"Get the kid out of here. He doesn't need to see his brother in a state like this." The doctor sighed, a nurse walked over to Al's side and placed her hands on his shoulders gently, but firmly and started to guide him toward the tent flap. Al struggled in her hold, so then a few more nurses rushed to their comrade's aid and helped restrain the teary-eyed alchemist.

"That's my brother! Let me go! He's all I've got! He's all I've got!" Al cried out, still trying to free himself from the nurses, "Niisan! Wake up! Please, you've got to wake up Ed! We're all we've got! WE'RE ALL WE'VE GOT!" Alphonse shouted, trying so hard to get his brother to open his eyes. Sadly, his attempts were for not and the nurses got him out of the tent. Riza was waiting for him outside of the tent.

"Here, I'll take him back to the recovery tent." Riza said softly as she took Alphonse by the shoulders, "He's just…worried about his brother…"

"We understand." One of the three nurses replied, the other two nodded in agreement and then they disappeared into the medical tent to help treat the gravely wounded patient.

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As night fell upon the base, Riza was still sitting by Al's bedside, making sure that he would stay put. The paramedics were still trying to treat Ed's wounds, especially the gunshot one. There had been no news of how well the treatment was going, or how long it would take for the teenager to open his eyes again, that is, _if_ he would ever open his golden eyes again. Alphonse had stopped crying a long time ago, probably because he had no more tears in which to cry. Al had taken this harder than anybody at the military base. Sure, they had won the war, but for Ed and Al, they were fighting a more difficult one right now. 

Riza looked at the young alchemist and sighed, she gently placed a hand on his shoulder, trying to get his attention. He looked at her with pain-filled eyes. She managed a small smile, trying to get Al to cheer up even the slightest. It didn't work.

"Alphonse, I'm sure your brother will make it through this. He's lived through a human transmutation; he's helped the State with so many things these past years, fought homunculus. And he got your body back like he promised you after the accident. And he is going to survive this war, Alphonse. I just know it." Riza smiled, a smile tugged at Al's lips and Riza knew that she had raised the teenager's hopes just a little, but it was enough.

"Thanks Riza." Al said softly, "I'm just…I don't know what I'll do if he doesn't. I love him too much to let his life slip away like this…"

"I know." Riza replied gently. Little did they know of what was occurring in the medical tent just a few feet away…

"We don't have the equipment to take care of him here, Sir. He needs to get back to Central immediately…" The doctor paused, pointing a finger toward the bed his adolescent patient was laying on, "Or he will die on that operating table." The doctor stated to Roy. Mustang nodded and ran a hand through his jet-black hair. He looked at the alchemist on the table. It pained him to see the kid like this. Pale and lifeless in a medical tent with bloody bandages wrapped around his body.

"Get him to the train station and get him to Central." Roy stated, his gaze never leaving the young alchemist on the hospital bed. The doctor nodded.

"You heard Fuhrer Mustang! Get that teenager onto a stretcher and make sure that the boy is still hooked up to the breathing apparatus; I don't think he breathe without it!" The middle-aged doctor ordered his colleges; pushing his glasses back slightly so they wouldn't fall off of his face.

"Oh and…" Roy paused, the doctor looked at him, "Make sure his little brother doesn't see him like this. It would break him faster than anything else in this universe could." The doctor sighed and adjusted his glasses on his face, causing the dull light of the lantern that illuminated the medical tent to gleam reflectively on the glass, "He…he has seen his brother, hasn't he?" Roy asked, the doctor nodded and ran a hand through his brown hair, which he had tied back in a short ponytail since his hair went to about halfway down his neck.

"I'm sorry, Sir. We couldn't stop him, it was either I finished cleaning out the sand from the boy's wounds, or stop his little brother from seeing this myself. I chose to take care of my patient first."

"What you did is completely understandable, Doctor. I would have done the same thing if I had been in your position." Roy replied, the doctor looked somewhat thankful at Roy's response. But the look of relief soon faded as he turned his attention back to the critically wounded blonde that was now on a stretcher.

"He needs the proper attention soon, or he is going to die on that stretcher, Sir…if he doesn't get to Central within two days, he is going to die. He needs to get on that train, and that train needs to go faster than it normally does." The doctor explained, his eyes locked on the unconscious adolescent alchemist.

"What about his little brother? I'm sure he is in no better condition." Roy asked.

"Alphonse? Alphonse is well enough to walk around on his own and he is well enough to travel on a train…" The doctor paused, "I highly suggest that you let Alphonse go with his brother on that train, considering that young Edward here might die on that train, I would let the younger brother accompany his only living family member." Roy nodded in agreement and left the medical tent. He dreaded the fact that he was the one who had to break the news to Fullmetal's younger brother. He found Riza and Alphonse outside, having a friendly conversation. Roy sighed and walked over; he figured he might as well get it over with.

"Soul…" Roy paused; Riza and Al looked up at him just in time to see him shake his head, "Alphonse, your brother is not getting any better and we don't have the equipment to treat his wounds here, so we are transporting him to Central right now. I feel that it is best you go with them, since the doctor…said that your brother might not make it…" Roy said, turning his gaze to the sandy ground. The black-haired man could see the tears building up in the young alchemist's eyes; he knew that it was hard for Alphonse to accept the fact that his brother was in such horrific state.

"Are you all right, Alphonse?" Riza asked, placing a hand on his shoulder, Al instantly shrugged her off and tears began to rush down his cheeks. Suddenly, the silver-eyed boy broke into a run, "Alphonse!" Riza called as she started to run after him but just as she did, Roy grabbed her by her forearm and held her in place. She looked at him.

"Let him go, Riza." Roy murmured, Riza slowly unwound and sighed. Roy released her from his grasp and turned to look at the medical tent. Riza continued to watch the distraught teenage boy run away so full of sorrow. It pained her to see him like this, since Alphonse was normally a blissful individual and fun to be around. Right now, the teenager was just depressed and all he needed was his brother.

"Make sure he stays hooked up to that breathing apparatus!" The middle-aged doctor ordered, his colleges nodded. Alphonse rushed up to the platform and tapped the doctor on the shoulder; the man turned around and adjusted his glasses, "You are Alphonse, correct?" Al nodded vigorously, "Okay, your brother is on the train, and please, make sure the mask stays on his face…" Al nodded again, the doctor placed a hand on his shoulder, "I'm almost completely sure that your brother will make it through the trip to Central without too much hassle, but just in case, some of my colleges are going along with you. They are highly trained, so you shouldn't get too worried if anything goes wrong." The doctor said, Alphonse bit his lower lip and looked over at his unconscious brother…lover….

* * *

Alphonse boarded the train and sat next to his brother, who was lying on a seat, unconscious with an air mask on his face. As Al's eyes trailed over his brother's body, he felt tears build up in his eyes as he saw all of the wounds he had received from that Ishballan rebel. His eyes locked on the gunshot wound. The wound was below his right shoulder, almost in the exact spot where the automail port met with his brother's scarred skin, which would have been incredibly painful for Edward if it had. It was then that the tears that had welled up in his eyes started to roll down the younger Elric's cheeks. He took his brother's flesh hand in his own and a warm, salty tear dripped from his face and splattered into microscopic droplets on the patch of skin between Ed's eye brows. 

"Niisan…" Al murmured, "Only you…." Al paused, his voice breaking as he spoke, he shook his head, as if to make his voice return to normal, "Only you can heal my wounds…"

* * *

Hikari: Omeasan yuiitsu, Niisan...only you, Niisan...please review or I'll take forever to update, okies, gots to go! 


	21. Hinode

Hikari: Okay, here it is, chapter 21. Before you ask, no this is not the last chapter, I'm guessing this next one is the last and then it's onto the sequal because sequals RULE! Ahem, I'm okay, don't mind my constant rambling, just enjoy the chapter.

'Hinode' - 'Sunrise' (Heh, you'll get it later)

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* * *

Chapter 21: ****Hinode (Sunrise)**

Alphonse couldn't stop thinking about his brother; all he could do was sit and watch his unmoving brother. He had stopped crying for a few minutes now, probably since he had no more tears to cry. The younger Elric had always disliked war and fighting, but after experiencing it first-hand, he had decided he hated it with every speck of protein in his being. Alphonse could only recall one time in his short life that he had felt this miserable and helpless…it was when the brothers had lost their mother at such young ages.

* * *

The moon was the only thing that lit the dark train in the midst of the night since all of the lights were off so passengers could get some much needed rest. Alphonse had fallen asleep on the seat across from his brother's. Sadly, the golden adolescent boy had not yet woken up from his coma-like state. Riding on a train while trying to sleep isn't an easy thing, every couple of minutes, Alphonse would wake up because of the loud, rickety clatter the ear-splitting train wheels made against the cold, iron tracks. Every time, his silver-hued gaze would trail over to his brother to make sure he was still part of this world. Nothing had changed, his brother hadn't so much as stirred from his position; he was still as lifeless and limp as a three-year-old girl's rag doll, just as he had been after Envy had stabbed his blade-like arm straight throw Edward's chest. A warm tear slithered down Al's cheek painfully; that memory always made him break down sobbing.

"Why did it have to be you?" Al murmured softly, his silver gaze never leaving his brother's form even for a millisecond, "Why did you have to be the one to get shot?" Al asked his unconscious brother, hoping for his brother to some how answer that one question. Al turned his attention to the half moon that was outside of the train window; Alphonse felt like shit to put it lightly.

* * *

The next day arrived sooner than expected for most, but to Alphonse it had felt like one eternity had slipped by in a painfully slow action. To put it bluntly, Alphonse purely detested this entire ordeal; the war, the injuries, and the pain, oh the never ending pain of it all was enough to drive one insane! The two doctors that had accompanied Edward and Alphonse on their trip back to Central made sure everything was okay with the equipment supplying Edward's body with oxygen and that his condition wasn't getting any worse.

"I'm surprised he hasn't gotten worse." One of the doctors murmured to the other, who nodded softly. Alphonse had overheard their conversation and tears of anger were welling up in his eyes; those two had no right to say negative things about his brother's condition. And to make it worse, the two continued.

"I wonder if we should offer his younger brother the choice to pull the plug on his sibling or not." The other doctor suggested. That was where the teen boy drew the line. Alphonse knew for a fact that his brother's condition wasn't bad enough for that option to even be suggested. He gritted his teeth as the angry tears spilled from his silver-hued eyes.

"There is no way he can survive this." The first paramedic murmured. Alphonse growled in the back of his throat and walked into the compartment the two doctors were talking in.

"Liars!" Al spat at them venomously, his normally gentle silver eyes like daggers as he glared at the two, "My brother's condition is not that bad! You shouldn't even suggest that you pull the plug on him! You don't even know him!"

"Calm down, kid--." One of the paramedics began, but Alphonse cut the man off with a perilous glare.

"I can assure you that my brother can survive his wounds! He has survived in more dangerous conditions than this! And let me tell you, he's been in the hospital more times in these past few years than I can count, and once, he was in there on his birthday, damn it!" Al shot his retort at them, his already lethal glare darkening to add passion to his statement. With that, Alphonse turned around and left the room, going back to the compartment that his brother was in. Hot tears burned in his silvery hued eyes, but he held them back, knowing that his pain was nothing compared to that of his brother's. Alphonse knew that the bullet that had pierced into his brother's shoulder must've done something worse than hit his shoulder, he just knew it. Slowly, he brushed back a few strands of Edward's golden blonde hair; tears gradually began to cascade from his eyes and down his cheeks as he looked at his brother's limp form on the train seat.

* * *

The rest of the trip to Central was hard for the silvery-eyed adolescent boy; the hours seemed to slowly slip by in a painful fashion, tearing at the younger Elric's heart strings. Nobody would ever understand the pain he was feeling these passed couple of days. He never left his brother's side after hearing the paramedics' negative comments about his brother's healing process. Just thinking about it made the younger alchemist want to rip something to shreds on the spot.

"Everything will be okay, I know it will, Niisan, you'll see…" Alphonse murmured to his brother, even though he knew his words could not be heard by the golden-eyed pubescent boy in front of him, and might as well just talk to himself, but it was hard to just sit there and stare at his brother, he felt like he _needed_ to communicate with his brother, even though it was pointless to, he felt like he had too, "You just wait, I'll see you open your eyes again…it'll be like after those stormy nights and you'd wait patiently for the morning sun to rise up from the horizon and then you'd wake me up and tell me everything was all right…" The lump in his throat was getting harder to talk around, "…Except it's my turn to wake you up…you were always there for me when I needed you, know it's my turn…it's my turn to finally return the favor, Niisan…"

Finally, Alphonse started to feel the train slowly coming to a halt as he listened to the screeching wheels. His eyes stayed fixed on his brother; he knew it'd be moments before he'd see his brother in the familiar, yet, extremely detested environment known as the hospital. The younger of the two alchemist brothers looked around just to make sure nobody else was around. The coast was clear. Alphonse slowly walked over to his brother and leaned forward slightly, continuing to do so until he connected their lips in a soft kiss. Edward didn't kiss back. Al hadn't expected him to. That kiss was just a way to show his brother, although he wasn't awake for it, how much he cared about his wellbeing.

Not soon after Alphonse had placed the kiss on his brother's lips, the two paramedics that had accompanied them on their journey to the Central hospital walked briskly down the halls of the train. One of them cast a glance in Alphonse's direction, as if asking him if it was okay that they took his brother to the hospital. Alphonse slowly gave his head a small nod and watched them move Ed onto a stretcher and carry him toward the exit. Slowly, the silvery-eyed boy followed, not paying attention to anything else but what could possibly happen at the hospital.

* * *

To Alphonse, time started to tick by as slow as it ever had in his entire life after he saw his brother disappear through the operating room doors. He had taken a seat outside of the room and he had fixed his silver eyes on the floor. Just knowing that his brother was in this environment for what seemed like the trillionth time since their mother's death all those years ago made the young alchemist's blood run cold. He didn't notice that tears were spilling from his eyes, probably because he had cried so much these passed few weeks that his body had become habituated to the feeling of hot, salty tears burning his skin raw.

Hours had passed since Edward had been rushed into the operating room, and Alphonse was beginning to worry. Alphonse looked at the busy people in the room; rushing about the files practically overflowing with paperwork in their arms, others sipping a cup of coffee at the front desk, all of them acting like everything was all right when there were plenty of people in the building that were closing their eyes for the final time while their families wept tears of pure pain from the great loss, while others were hooked up to machines to live and doctors were asking the family if they would just pull the plug on their family member.

Slowly and painfully, another hour crept by and a doctor emerged from the doors that Ed had disappeared into. Alphonse looked up, his face was sore from the constant exposure to the hot, salty tears. He tried his best to decipher the seemingly neutral look on the man's face, but he failed at it miserably.

"You are Edward Elric's brother, aren't you?" He inquired, raising an eyebrow, and Alphonse slowly nodded his head, "You can go see him now, he's doing just fine. The procedure stopped all of the bleeding and took care of the gunshot wound. And I must say that he is quite the lucky one, but he is a good fighter as well. That bullet wound may appear to be a harmless one, but the bullet actually came in at a diagonal angle, the bullet broke on of his ribs and just barely grazed his right lung. He will be talking to you in a few hours; however, keep in mind that your brother has a long road of recovery after we release him from the hospital." Alphonse felt a smile tug at his lips as he heard good news for the first time in weeks. The doctor gave Alphonse a small smile before walking away to his next patient. Alphonse got up from his chair and walked over to the door; he inhaled deeply and then released the breath in an audible exhale before turning the knob and pushing the door open.

Alphonse saw his brother on the hospital bed, covered in the crisp, thin, white sheets. He walked over and smiled slightly; the color in Edward's face had returned and his chest was steadily rising and falling as he slept and strands of golden hair lay across his brother's face haphazardly. Slowly, Alphonse took his brother's flesh hand in his own and squeezed it softly.

"I knew you'd make it, Niisan, I just knew you would…" Alphonse murmured softly, knowing that his words could not be heard, but it felt so good to actually hear no doubt in his own words for a change.

* * *

Twilight was as peaceful as it has ever been that night. Alphonse had fallen asleep, his head resting next to his brother's, but he still remained curled up in the chair that he had pulled up to his recovering sibling's bedside. Pale moonshine lit the room ever so slightly, casting shadows every which way and the glittering stars added the perfect touch to this twilight.

Suddenly, Al's silver eyes shot open, he lifted his head and looked at his brother. He was utterly perplexed by his own action. It wasn't that he wasn't tired, he was very tired, actually, but he had woken up. Silver eyes scanned the room, searching for something that could've woken him up so abruptly like that. Nothing was out of the ordinary.

"Niisan?" Alphonse inquired softly, looking at his golden-eyed brother. He sighed, slightly saddened by the fact that his brother still hadn't stirred, but at least he was still breathing and that was comfort enough for Alphonse at the moment. Ed rolled over onto his side, so he was facing Alphonse. Al smiled and placed a small, gentle kiss on his brother's bandaged forehead before smoothing his golden bangs out of his face, "I love you, Niisan…"

All of a sudden, as if in response to his brother's loving murmur, Ed's golden eyes slowly began to open. Alphonse felt tears of happiness begin to collect in the corners of his eyes as he watched the golden hue grow as his brother opened his eyes all of the way. Ed blinked a few times before looking right in Al's direction; a small smile tugged at the teen's lips as he saw his younger brother's familiar face.

"Niisan!" Al managed to say before he enfolded his arms around his brother's upper body, resting his head on his brother's left shoulder, tears running down his face, "I knew you'd heal, I just knew you would!" Alphonse murmured into his brother's ear, tightening his grip slightly, "I was so scared…"

Slowly, Alphonse felt Edward's strong, yet gentle arms wrap around his body and he calmed down slightly. Even though Edward had no idea what his little brother was so worked up about but as he tried to recall everything that had happened before now, he understood his brother completely. The last thing he remembered was a searing pain jolting through the place on his shoulder where his automail met his skin and then the same agonizing fire traveled to the right side of his torso. He knew that he had been shot and he knew why his brother was crying.

"You scared me, Niisan…" Edward heard Alphonse murmuring, "For a while there, I thought you were really going to leave me here like Mom did…"

"Alphonse…" Ed began, "I'd never, ever do that to you, do you understand?" He inquired. Alphonse pulled away from the hug so he was looking into his brother's fiery, golden gaze. He didn't give his brother a verbal reply, though, instead, he pulled his unsuspecting brother into a heated kiss. It took a while for Ed to realize what had just happened before he returned the kiss with just as much fervor.

"You had me so scared, Niisan…" Al stated softly as he looked into his brother's eyes, the eyes that would make him feel better even in the darkest of times, "Don't you ever, ever do that again, okay?"

"It's not like I tried to get shot!" Ed replied, trying his best to defend himself.

"I know. But you still need to promise me you won't do that again!" Alphonse responded, "I was just afraid that you were going to die because of that Ishballan rebel…" but before Alphonse could continue his explanation, he was cut off by his older brother.

"Where is that bastard now?! Did he hurt you? If he did, I'll kill hi--" Edward started to say, but Alphonse pressed a finger to his brother's lips, silencing his paranoid sibling.

"He's dead. Lieutenant Havoc shot him directly in the chest after you were shot. He's gone, Niisan, he can't hurt you ever again." Alphonse smiled, "And if the Lieutenant wouldn't have killed him, I would have because he almost took you away from me…" Alphonse paused, tears welling in his eyes as he recalled the painful memory of his brother lying motionless back at the base in Lior, "If you would've died…I don't know how I'd go on without you…" And the tears started to fall. Slowly, Edward lifted his left hand and cupped his brother's cheek before starting to wipe away the salty tears with his thumb.

"Shh…don't cry, Alphonse…" Edward murmured; his golden eyes soft and nurturing as the words passed his lips, "Everything's going to be okay…you'll see…just don't cry, I'm not going anywhere…I promise." Alphonse smiled softly and touched his brother's hand.

"And if you ever do leave, Niisan. Wherever you go; I go." Alphonse smiled, before leaning in, touching their foreheads together, "Because I love you more than anything…" and after those gentle words passed the younger adolescent's lips; Ed quickly pressed their lips together, savoring the moment like they used to savor the morning sun after a stormy night.

* * *

Hikari: Mwahahahahh! Cliffy...well...sort of...the next chapter will probably be the last, like I said earlier...then it is the sequal! -starts murmuring about sequal storyline- 

Al: ; Okaaaay...well, review, please!


	22. Jijitsu

Hikari: Okay, as all of you know, all good things must come to an end, right? Well, this is the end of Forbidden Love, but I am currently working on the sequel and I almost have the first chapter of it finished, so you should see it sometime in the near future. It is the new year and I have been working on this fic since June 2006 so I'm quite happy I have finished it! The sequel is called "Nayami" so look around for it, okay?

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Chapter 22: Jijitsu (Truth/Fact)**

Edward heaved a loud moan of pure displeasure and leaned his head back against the fluffy pillow. He hated, no, he _detested_ everything being in the hospital. May it be visiting or being a patient, he detested _everything_ about the hospital. The smell, the blinding bright lights, the fact that _everything _was white and _everybody _was constantly bothering him with an inhuman smile on their features. He had half a mind to strangle the next person to ask how he was doing, well, the next person that_ wasn't_ his little brother.

He heard the doorknob turn and he sat back up and watched the door intently as it opened. To his relief, the person walking into the room was his little brother and not a doctor or nurse coming to give him a…a dreaded injection.

"Feeling better, Niisan?" Alphonse asked as he pulled a chair up to his brother's bedside, promptly taking his seat; his silver eyes scanning over his brother to make sure that the golden-eyed teenage alchemist was recovering as best as he possibly could.

"Well, I feel a hell lot better than I did five minutes ago." Ed moaned, rolling his eyes, "Stupid doctor got pissed off at me for pulling that damned IV out of my arm." Alphonse's silver gaze darkened at his brother's statement and Ed cringed.

"Niisan, you know that you have to keep the IV in!" Alphonse scolded, standing up so hastily, the chair fell over in the process. Ed could only watch in fear; he knew that an angry Alphonse was nothing to shrug off.

"Hey, calm down, Al! I'm in the hospital still!" Edward whimpered, trying to calm his little brother down as best he could with his words. Alphonse sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Sorry for freaking out like that, Niisan. It's just that…I've been thinking about…" Alphonse cut himself off with a small shake of his head, "Never mind."

"If it's got you this worked up, Al, then it's got to be something important!" Ed replied, his voice taking on a more serious tone, "What have you been thinking about?" Alphonse made no reply, "C'mon, you can tell me, I'm your big brother, remember?"

"I've been thinking about the day we lost Mom and how much that impacted us. We were so young and it tore us to pieces…" Alphonse's voice was beginning to crack as he spoke, so he paused before continuing, "And I was thinking about what I'd do if you had died from that gunshot wound…"

"Oh…" Ed murmured, his golden gaze trailing to the floor as he started to softly nibble on his lower lip. Alphonse noticed the look on his brother's face and immediately felt guilty for getting his brother all worked up like that. Slowly, he placed his hands on either side of Ed's head and gently forced his brother to look at him, "What are you--?" But Ed's statement was cut short by a sudden kiss from his little brother; not that he was complaining; he simply loved the feeling he got when he felt Al's lips against his skin. Slowly and tenderly, Alphonse gently sank his teeth into his brother's lower lip and began to dexterously nibble on the soft, sensitive flesh that made up the golden-eyed adolescent's lips, and to his content he managed to get Edward to let out a soft moan against his mouth. The two heard the doorknob start to turn and both of them immediately, yet reluctantly broke apart from the heated kiss. Lucky for them they did because the doctor walked in seconds later. He walked over to Ed's bedside with a smile on his face.

"I just finished checking your status paperwork, Edward, and you're healed enough to go back home. Just take it easy and rest for a few weeks so we can take those stitches out of your side in a week or two." The doctor smiled, "We don't want your wounds to reopen because of carelessness, now do we?"

"No." Ed muttered, looking at his little brother who was clearly going to make sure he rested until his wounds were fully healed whether he liked it or not.

"Okay, let me just go get you checked out and you can leave in approximately five minutes." The doctor said as he walked out of the room.

"You do know I'm going to be watching you like a hawk now that the doctor warned you about reopening your wounds, don't you, Ed?" Al inquired, his voice laced with a serious tone. Edward groaned and nodded, he knew that fact well.

* * *

The doctor walked in about ten minutes after he left and slowly pulled the IV out of Edward's arm. Ed didn't even flinch. He just watched the dreaded needle get delicately pulled out of his vein and thought nothing of it. Alphonse, on the other hand, nearly lost consciousness on the spot when he saw how long the actual needle was. He simply could not believe that a large needle like that was in his brother's arm for that long. Edward looked over at his brother and instantly became worried from the expression on his younger brother's features.

"Are you okay, Alphonse?" He asked, placing a hand on his brother's trembling shoulder. Alphonse looked very pale and he looked like he needed to lie down for a little while.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine…let's just…just get you back to Central Headquarters, okay?" Alphonse managed to get the words out. Edward shrugged and slowly got out of the hospital bed, and, as always, he was not careful and felt a searing pain in his side. He groaned and clutched onto it, "Niisan!" Alphonse shrieked, quickly running over to his brother's side, "Are you okay? What happened?!"

"It's nothing, really, I'm fine, you don't need to get so worried, Al." Ed tried to cover up his pain by telling his brother nothing was wrong, but Alphonse knew his brother better than that.

"You're side hurts you, doesn't it?" Alphonse inquired, Edward nodded.

"But I'm fine; I probably just got out of bed weird, that's all." Ed replied with a shake of his head, "If you don't believe me, just ask the doctor to come and check it out." Alphonse, still not fazed by his older brother's mask of endurance, quickly left to go find the doctor. Minutes passed and Alphonse walked back into the room with the doctor. Edward rolled his eyes; he absolutely hated it when his little brother got as worked up as this, mainly because he was concerned that Alphonse was going to get himself sick with his constant worrying.

"Okay, Ed, since your brother insisted that I come and check your stitches, please lift up your shirt." The doctor stated. Edward just gave the older man a look of shock. There was no way in hell that he would lift up his shirt for some middle-aged man that called himself a doctor. Ed's golden gaze hardened and he refused to do anything the man requested.

"C'mon, Niisan, the faster you get your stitches checked, the faster we can go home." Alphonse smiled, trying to get his brother to show the doctor his stitched up side. Edward muttered something fiercely under his breath before pulling his shirt up so the doctor could finally inspected the stitched up wound. After a few moments the doctor told Ed he could put his shirt down now, which Edward did gladly.

"Your brother is fine, just as long as he doesn't do anything reckless, for instance running around wildly, overreacting, and sparring in any way. Just keep him away from those kinds of situations and he'll be just fine." The doctor instructed Alphonse, who nodded, looking at his brother with a stern look on his features.

"Oh, believe me, I'll keep him away from all of that, you can count on it." Alphonse confirmed, "Okay, Niisan, you can go get dressed into your normal clothes now." Alphonse smiled, Edward rolled his eyes and grabbed his clothes from the nightstand and stormed off into the bathroom, muttering choice words under his breath all of the while.

A couple minutes passed and Edward emerged from the solitary confinements of the dreaded hospital bathrooms. He walked over to his brother's side looking very pissed off, so Alphonse decided to let his brother calm down and not talk to him until he seemed reasonable enough to do so. Alphonse thanked the doctor for taking care of his brother and followed his brother out of the hospital.

* * *

As the two were walking back to Central Headquarters, Al would occasionally steal a glance at his steamed brother, trying to find the perfect opportunity to start a decent conversation with him. So far, he has not yet seen the slightest change in his brother's attitude, so he decided to leave him alone for a little bit longer.

Minutes passed and Edward had seemingly calmed down and now was probably the best time to strike up a conversation between the two so the walk to Central Headquarters wouldn't seem so long and boring. Alphonse sighed and took this golden opportunity into his grasp and looked over at his brother for what seemed like the ten millionth time.

"Hey, Niisan?" The younger of the two gently inquired, Edward turned his head to look at his brother, and the look in his normally gentle eyes was one of pure anger. Alphonse gulped, but that did not stop him from continuing the conversation between them, "Does your side hurt you that bad?" Alphonse asked innocently, thinking that the stitches were the cause of his brother's irritation.

"No." Edward mumbled under his breath, turning his attention back to the large city that made up the great empire of Central. Anybody else would have given up on attempting the hard task of holding out a decent conversation with Edward because of his livid attitude, but not Alphonse; he was determined to get his brother into a better mood.

"Then what's got you so pissed?" Alphonse demanded, trying not to get irritated with his brother, but he couldn't help it, Ed was just being plain stubborn, as usual, but this time, it was getting on his nerves. But instead of replying to his brother's demanding question, Edward gave his brother a death glare so lethal it seemed like his golden eyes were a blazing fiery red. Alphonse tried his best to calm himself down at this point because he knew that Ed wasn't supposed to overact and get super upset or he'd reopen his stitched up cuts, "Why do you have to be so….so…so difficult?!" Alphonse insisted, his normally soft voice raising to a tone just a hair lower than a deafening shriek.

"If I'm so difficult, then why the hell do you insist on being so damn persistent?" Edward scowled at his ticked of sibling, but he wasn't done there, before his little brother could make a reply he shouted the rest of his statement, "I don't need to tell you anything because you aren't Mom, you won't ever understand me!"

After Edward's last word, both of them seemed to change their moods instantaneously. Edward's gaze darted to the ground and Alphonse could do nothing but stare at his brother for saying what he had just said. But what broke Alphonse's heart the most was the fact that Edward started to turn and run. He wasn't going to let that happen, so he followed his brother into the crowd of people that were walking around the town square. This was when he really hated the fact his brother was 'vertically challenged'. He could not spot his brother in the crowd of people, so he was forced to try something that would never work when his brother was in this state, but it was all he could do.

"Niisan!" Alphonse cried out desperately, he was so upset about his brother's harmful words he was almost in tears, but right now, all he wanted was to fix what had just went horribly wrong, "NIISAN!" Alphonse shrieked into the air, looking around frantically for his brother, but it was no use, the town square was the busiest place in Central and his brother's height did not tip the odds of finding him in his favor either.

Alphonse knew that it was hopeless to try and look for his brother in the city and he knew that his brother was most likely going to head back to Central Headquarters so that's where he decided to go. Slowly, Alphonse walked in the direction of Central H.Q. once again, but this time, he had nobody to walk at his side.

* * *

The sun was peacefully setting over the horizon and it had resulted in coloring the sky a vibrant splash of orange and painting the clouds dark shades of pink and light shades of purple when Alphonse arrived at the stairway to the doors that led into Central Headquarters. Alphonse sighed as he walked up the long staircase and pushed the heavy doors open. Headquarters was quiet, nothing was new, everybody had just gotten back from war a week ago and things were relatively peaceful for once at the normally hectic military building. Alphonse tried his best to forget what his brother had said earlier, but that was practically impossible when it was the only thing that he could think about at the moment. He made his way up to the small dorm room that he and his brother shared and opened the door. To his surprise, his brother was sitting at the chair by the window, resting his chin in his automail hand as he gazed outside.

"Niisan?" Alphonse inquired softly, nearly making Edward jump right out of his seat. Ed quickly turned his head in the direction of his little brother's voice.

"Listen, Al, I'm sor--" Edward began to apologize, but before he could finish it, he found himself in his brother's warm, secure embrace. He was in complete and utter shock. Of all the things he had expected Alphonse to do, giving him a hug was not in his mind at all.

"I knew you were upset but I kept pushing you, Niisan, it's my fault…" Alphonse murmured into his brother's ear as he slightly tightened his hold on the shorter teenager, "I should've let you be and I'm sor…"

Alphonse didn't get to finish his sentence for his brother had hastily pressed his lips against his brother's. Edward did not mind that he had to practically stand on the tips of his toes so he could actually connect their lips, all that mattered is that his brother was always going to be there for him, that's all he would ever need to be happy.

* * *

Later that evening, as Edward and Alphonse were making their way down to the Mess Hall so they could eat because they were starving, they saw Riza talking Scieszka. When the mahogany-eyed woman saw the two, she smiled and told Scieszka she was dismissed and she made her way over to the two adolescent alchemists.

"Fullmetal, Soul, could I speak with you two for a moment?" Riza asked them, the two exchanged glances, shrugged and nodded. Riza seemed so relieved by their answer, "It's about Roy…" Her voice trailed off.

"What about him?" Alphonse questioned their worried friend.

"He's getting suspicious of how deep your relationship really is. I've been keeping it secret for so long, and I promise not to tell anybody without your permission, but what I was wondering is that maybe you two could go tell him about your relationship for me?" Riza asked.

"What?!" Ed blurted out in utter disbelief, "You expect _me_ to tell Fuhrer Bastard about our incestuous relationship?!?! There is no way in hell I'd ever do that!" Edward scowled, folding his arms across his chest.

"C'mon, Niisan, Riza's done a lot for us, the least we can do is get Roy off of her back." Alphonse tried to reason with his stubborn sibling. Ed raised a questioning eyebrow at his brother.

"And you expect me to tell that bastard something of this magnitude?" Edward scoffed at his younger brother's proposition, "Fat chance."

"Please?" Alphonse begged, sounding completely innocent and sweet, something Edward just couldn't ignore. He absolutely _adored_ his little brother when he got like this and there was no way in the world he could refuse even the most condemned request from his brother when he acted like that. Ed rolled his eyes and unfolded his arms.

"Oh fine." He sighed, truly hating the fact that he had just lost another debate between the two of them yet again; Alphonse squealed and pulled his brother into a loving embrace, pressing his lips to his brother's cheek softly.

"Thank you, Niisan!" Alphonse smiled sweetly, releasing his brother from the hug, quickly grabbing onto his brother's wrist, "Just leave it to us, Riza!" Alphonse called over his shoulder as he pulled his brother toward Roy's office.

When the two got to Roy's office's door, they stood there for what seemed like five minutes debating on whether or not to go into the dreaded office.

"Do we have to?" Ed groaned in displeasure, looking over at his little brother. Alphonse nodded, "But he's the king of bastards, Al!" Ed complained, his constant whining almost reminded Alphonse of when Ed was a little kid and he kept whining about how milk tasted like dog shit. Well, when Ed was around their mother he didn't swear, but still…

"We promised Riza that we would." Alphonse replied to his brother's whining.

"Let's not and say we did." Ed retorted, folding his arms across his chest and fixing his golden gaze onto the ground.

"How about we just go in there and get it over with?" Alphonse offered. Ed groaned and finally agreed.

"Just as long as that bastard doesn't publicize it…" Ed muttered, Alphonse shook his head and opened the door to Roy's office. Roy was sitting hunched over his desk, with a hand to his forehead like he had the world's biggest headache.

"Um…Fuhrer Mustang…?" Alphonse called out softly, Roy looked up at them and a smug grin grew across the older man's features.

"What is it, Soul?" Roy replied, Edward and Alphonse walked over to Roy's desk so they didn't have to shout out this kind of information.

"Um…well…there's something we've been meaning to tell you for a quite sometime now…and…I think now is the right time…." Alphonse murmured, looking over at his brother as if asking for help. Ed irritably sighed and ran a hand through his golden blonde hair before finishing what his little brother had started.

"Riza told us that we should tell you, so here it is and you had better not laugh, you smug bastard!" Ed warned the older man with a lethal glare that made him look quite demonic.

"Just spit it out, Fullmetal." Roy grinned, leaning back in his chair, Ed growled in the back of his throat, glancing over at his brother, silently asking if he had to actually _say_ it out loud. Alphonse gave him an assuring nod and Ed let out a deep sigh, "It's not like it's the world's biggest taboo, right?"

"Oh you think you're so smart don't you, you bastard!" Ed growled at Roy. Alphonse could see this wasn't going anywhere anytime soon, so he took matters into his own hands.

"We're a couple!" Alphonse blurted out, causing both Edward and Roy to shut their mouths. Edward groaned and walked around the room for a little while before something caught his attention, the intercom.

"Hey, Roy…how long has this thing been on?" Ed asked, pointing at the device sitting on the black-haired man's desk.

"Um…" Roy began, but Ed already got the message, everybody in Central Headquarters had just heard the entire conversation. Moments later, the three could hear voices outside of the office door, Alphonse laughed nervously and Ed smacked himself in the forehead with his automail hand.

Edward groaned and ran a hand through his golden blonde hair before turning around to face his little brother, who was rubbing the back of his neck nervously, "Shit…"

To be continued…

* * *

EDIT!

Hikari: Okay, the sequel is up, under the name of "Nayami" just thought I'd inform you all of that...


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